65-year-old Dagri Rinpoche a.k.a. Thupten Lhundrup Tenpai Gyaltsen a.k.a. Thupten Jangchup is an ordained monk and senior Tibetan Buddhist teacher who works in the Dalai Lama’s Office. He is a registered teacher with the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT) and Sera Jey Monastery.

The first victim

Dagri Rinpoche has a history of molesting women

Earlier this month, Dagri Rinpoche was accused of molesting an Indian woman on a Delhi to Gaggal flight. The incident was widely reported in the Indian media and their descriptions of what transpired strongly imply that instead of groping the woman through her clothes, Dagri Rinpoche actively tried to violate the lady and get his hands under her clothing. The Indian lady pressed charges with the police and Dagri Rinpoche was duly arrested and put in police custody.

No one seems to be surprised that Dagri Rinpoche was detained for his behaviour. The fact he was caught harassing a lady from Kinnaur, a region in India where Tibetan Buddhism is strong and people have blind faith towards Tibetan monks and lamas, only confirms the news.

What’s more, when Dagri Rinpoche was detained, he had the gall to list the Dalai Lama’s Office as his address on the police paperwork. Clearly he was trying to use his position and the Dalai Lama’s name to intimidate the police and sway them into not pressing charges. This, quite frankly, is disgusting because rather than thinking about the trauma experienced by the victim, Dagri Rinpoche’s first act was to try to evade justice and protect himself and his reputation, by drawing on his association with the Dalai Lama.

Bear in mind that Dagri Rinpoche holds a Geshe Lharam degree which is equivalent to a doctorate degree in Tibetan Buddhism, yet he is extremely disrespectful towards Tibetan Buddhism and towards women in general. In Tibetan Buddhism, many deities are female and they are revered and treasured. So Dagri Rinpoche’s actions are completely contradictory to what is taught in Buddhism and extremely shameful for a person of his status.

The second victim emerges

Dagri Rinpoche apologised to Ms Jakaira but later lied about what had transpired.

Incredibly, this is not the first time he has done this! He is now facing another molestation charge. Another of Dagri Rinpoche’s victims has now come forward after 10 years of silence! In a tell-all YouTube video, Ms Jakaira Perez Valdivia has revealed how Dagri Rinpoche took advantage of his senior monastic position to sexually molest her and attempt to coerce her into having sexual relations. The incident happened ten years ago in Dharamsala where the Dalai Lama resides. At the time, Ms Jakaira was only 26 years old. She was an ordained nun too but that did not stop Dagri Rinpoche from abusing his station and attempting to have his way with her.

Disturbingly, after Ms Jakaira first raised her complaint 10 years ago, FPMT and the Dalai Lama’s Office arranged for a meeting between her and Dagri Rinpoche. Dagri Rinpoche was initially reluctant and unsuccessfully tried to avoid attending the meeting. During the meeting, they tried to convince her to remain quiet and to not publicise the sexual assault. Dagri Rinpoche also apologised to Ms Jakaira for assaulting her. Later, Ms Jakaira learned that Dagri Rinpoche lied to others about what transpired during their closed-door meeting, and he had been telling people that she had begged him for forgiveness!

Ms Jakaira was sparked to make this video because FPMT have been trying to downplay Dagri Rinpoche’s sexual molestation of the Indian lady ever since it hit the news. FPMT have been saying that it’s all a misunderstanding when it clearly was not. How is it possible for Dagri Rinpoche to “accidentally” put his hands inside the lady’s clothes? FPMT must think that the public are dumb sheep who will believe anything they are told!

Jakaira’s Video

Transcript/Translation

Hello, everybody. My name is Jaki, my Tibetan name is Kunsang. I’m making this video about the Dagri Rinpoche issue because I don’t have a Facebook account and this is the only way that I know how to make it public. Apologies to the followers of Awakening Project in my other YouTube channel because I owe you a video since so many months, and I’m publishing this one first. But I’m sure you’ll understand why, and sorry also if I’m gonna be reading a bit, it’s just that I have so many things to say but I don’t want the video to be too long, so I just want to stick to the important points.

I’m making this video because I was molested too by Dagri Rinpoche over 10 years ago when I was a Buddhist nun and I was living in Dharamsala, alright. I don’t want to go into detail during this video about what happened because it’s very long and it’s very painful. So, if you want to know exactly what he did to me, you can read my statutory declaration that I made at Kangra police station, it’s 4 pages and I’m sharing that also. So, you can read it if you like. You can see what happened, he put his hands all over me, he tried to take my clothes off, it’s so long, it’s 4 pages so you can read it if you like.

And after that, after I made this statement which it took me a long time to have the courage to do it because during over a year people were trying to convince me that it didn’t happen, or that it was just out of compassion that he was giving me a massage, and all sort of things that you can imagine. I’m sure you can imagine, plus I was a Buddhist nun, and it’s a very very stressful situation. And every time after abuse or molestation, one feels guilty, one feels confused, one is blaming oneself, “Why did I stay?”, “Why did I let him come close to me?”, “Why did I let him touch me?”, and so on and so forth.

So, this was going on for over a year and it’s normal because after abuse you need many years, sometimes all of your life, you know, to start, even start working on it, but some people who were supportive of me, they convinced me to do this declaration and I did it. I got 2 certified copies at the notary, I sent one to His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Office and one to the FPMT’s office and what can I tell you, nothing happened. I mean the Dalai Lama’s Office set up a meeting with me and Dagri Rinpoche, which he tried to prevent. He tried, Dagri Rinpoche tried to prevent that meeting from happening, and so they set up a meeting. I tried to record the meeting with my mp3 player, they told me that I couldn’t do that, that for safety reasons I had to switch it off, so I had to switch it off. I don’t have a recording of that meeting, unfortunately. And during the meeting, Dagri Rinpoche apologized to me. He said that everything he did was out of compassion, that he was not gonna do that again. He was gonna be more mindful in regards to how to behave in front of Western women. It’s all sort of, you know, all that sort of excuses and stuff.

So, I accepted the apology and I didn’t go to the police, alright. And after that, some FPMT centers said that Dagri Rinpoche was saying around that the meeting was for me to apologize to him, and that I was crying and begging for his forgiveness. I can’t believe it, it’s absolutely crazy. That is a lie. So, that means Dagri Rinpoche, on top of being a pervert, he’s also a big liar because I never ever apologized. I have nothing to apologize to him, and he’s the one who should be apologizing to all women he has molested through his life. So, that was the Dalai Lama meeting, he apologized and then he lied about it, so they didn’t do anything at the end, right. And also from the FPMT, I literally got nothing, like “Oh, he’s okay, he was giving your massage out of compassion”, and that’s it, they stuck to that version.

I tried to contact many people. Some people were supportive, but the institutions did absolutely nothing about it. Not only after me but before me, many girls and women – laywomen, nuns, Western, Tibetan, Indians – have been molested by Dagri Rinpoche. I don’t know in which way we have to explain this again and again. In my case, more than 10 years I’ve been saying it, more than 10 years. Many lives have been destroyed, the faith of many Dharma practitioners have been seriously harmed by this. The Dharma life of many people has been seriously affected and many of these victims still have not been able to overcome the trauma of being molested by Dagri Rinpoche, and I’m talking especially about young Western nuns, young Western nuns that I know and that other people know as well. But they still don’t have the courage to come out.

So, after all this happened, it was even worse because when I spoke up, then I became the bad person, alright. When I spoke up, then I was saying, I was told that I was crazy, that I was overreacting, that I wanted to attract attention. Please, seriously, like look at me. Have you seen a picture of Dagri Rinpoche? Why would I want to attract the person, the attention of such man? Come on, seriously! And many people defended him, and still now they are defending him, which I think is absolutely insane. But, I also want to say that I understand, especially monks and nuns that were ordained by him, I understand. And please, I want to ask to the public to forgive them, and to understand them. Because you cannot imagine what it is to think that your entire life is a lie, okay. Imagine the people who have got ordained by Dagri Rinpoche. Imagine, to receive ordination in the Buddhist tradition, in the monastic tradition, it’s very important that you get them from a pure monk, a monk that has pure vows. Imagine that you have been ordained and then after years, you find out that maybe, just maybe, you didn’t even get the vows. You were never a monk or a nun, because you were never given the vows by a pure gelong [note: fully ordained monk]. That’s…I don’t know, if you’re not a Dharma practitioner or a Buddhist monk or nun, I’m not sure you can understand how terrible and traumatic this is, but this is not only about self-liberation vows, also people who took Bodhisattva vows and Tantric initiations with him. They can’t face reality, it’s just too painful. So forgive them if they defend him, it’s just too harmful to see the truth, okay.

So, even now, after the incident, the versions I’ve heard from FPMT centers is that they agreed with the version of Rinpoche, that he just smiled at the woman in the airplane and then she got upset because he smiled at her. Come on, how stupid do you think we are? How stupid, seriously? How stupid do you think people all around the world are? And women that have been molested, how long you think they’re gonna put up with it? He’s already 65 years old. You have any idea how many women he has molested throughout his life, just because he gets away with it, because he’s a Rinpoche? That’s not fair. So, I just want to say to that woman that was molested in the plane by Dagri Rinpoche, thank you, thank you so much for reporting him. You have done what many, many of us didn’t do or couldn’t do, or just didn’t have the courage to. Thank you so much because you’re not a Buddhist, you’re not a Westerner, and you have never seen him before, so you have no reason you know, to have like a, to make this up. Thank you. I’m so sorry what you went through. I know what you went through, and if you need any help in the case in court against Dagri Rinpoche, please contact me. I’ll send you all the information I have. I’m not in India now, but something can be arranged if you want to. I also want to tell to Kangra police, I’ve been trying to get in touch with the journalist who wrote the articles and with Gaggal police and with Kangra police and I haven’t been able to, but if you want, here’s the copy of my statutory declarations. If these can support the case against Dagri Rinpoche, I’ll do anything that’s necessary for that.

And I also want to say to other women, to all the other women that were molested by Rinpoche, that I know that you were molested by him, and you know that I know. I know that you’re watching this video, and I know that you know that you were molested, and that you didn’t say anything. You know, those of you know who I’m talking about, please. I respected your privacy, everyone has respected your privacy for 10 years, even more. Now is the time to talk. Look, now he’s come out to the public, you don’t need to feel guilty anymore. You don’t need to be ashamed anymore, ok? Speak up, do something, go make a video, make a statement, go to your Dharma center, write a letter to Lama Zopa, start a blog, write a letter to His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Office, protest if Dagri Rinpoche’s going to your center, refuse to go, refuse to go to the Dharma center if he’s there, do something and don’t feel ashamed. Don’t think that telling the truth is going to harm the Dharma, because Dharma is looking for the truth, so there’s no way that you can hurt the Dharma if you’re telling the truth. Tell the truth, do something even if it was 15 years ago, and if it was 10 years ago like me, it doesn’t matter. It’s not too late because the harm that he’s done to you has not still gone away, okay. So, do it, do something. And I want to say something to the FPMT. What are you gonna do now? What are you gonna do now? Are you gonna let him get away with it again? How many more victims? All the suffering of all the students that have been either molested by Rinpoche or whose faith and Dharma life has been hurt because of the actions of Rinpoche, all the suffering of all those people is on you because you kept inviting him to teach in the Dharma centers even after you knew about what he did, and you didn’t believe the women. So all the suffering of all these students, of all these practitioners, of all these women, if you don’t stop him now FPMT, all that suffering is on you.

Ms Jakaira took a long time to go public with her experiences as she felt all the shame, embarrassment and guilt that many sex abuse victims go through. Fortunately, she made a statutory declaration at the Gaggal police station all those years ago and these documents have now been released to the public. You have to read her statutory declaration which contains all the details of how Dagri Rinpoche repeatedly tried to coerce Ms Jakaira into having sexual relations with him. He tried very hard to seduce her. He told her to take off her clothes so he could “do some work” on her. He put his hands under her robes. He sat on her and tried to touch her private parts. He tried to get her drunk and relaxed (a common tactic of sexual offenders) so that she would be less capable of defending herself and he could copulate with her.

Around October 2008, during HH Dalai Lama teachings, I was staying in Tushita Meditation Center as going up and down from Thosamling was very much uncomfortable due to my back problem. As I heard that Dagri Rinpoche, also known as Pari Rinpoche, was in Dharamsala, I decided to visit him. I met him once in Italy and another time shortly after my arrival in India. After my Teacher, Geshe Jampa Gyatso, passed away in 2007 many of his students have sought advice from Dagri Rinpoche and I was advised to go to him for getting a blessing or advice for my health problem. I was diagnosed with a disk hernia at the beginning of that year and I was in a lot of pain, trying to avoid surgery at any cost.

I arrived at his house behind Namgyal monastery as the end of the morning, guided by his attendant from whom I can’t recall the name. At that time I knew tibetan well enough to go to the audience without a translator. I gave Dagri Rinpoche some small present and explained my health problem. He asked questions about my life and studies. So it was lunch time and he asked me to stay for lunch and after to come with him to Dharamkot mountain in order to perform a fire puja with him. The attendant brought us meat momos and soup. As soon as we finished eating the attendant collected the dishes and then Rinpoche asked him to leave the apartment.

I thought we were leaving too, but when the attendant left he asked me to lay down on the floor and take my clothes off. I asked why and he said he had to do ‘some work’ on me. I just took off my zen and dongka, and kept the nulen (undershirt) and shamtab, as I though that if he wanted to perform some kind of ritual for curing me it should only concern that part of my back. Then I sat on the floor. Dagri Rinpoche went to the little room where he keeps an altar and when he came back he had some glass container in his hands. He said it was a ‘very very holy substance’, put some in the container cap, drank from it, filled it again and then told me to drink it all at once. When I did so I noticed it was some strong alcoholic drink. After that he drank more and he kept drinking during the whole ‘session’, continuously. Then he told me again to take my clothes off and lay down. I didn’t take more clothes off but just laid down facing the ground.

He started to recite some prayers and mantras while he was touching all my back and putting that alcoholic drink all over it. He said that I should loosen my shamtab as it was too high and it was covering all the lower back (which is the place where I actually had the hernia). So I loosened a bit the shamtab and as soon as I did that, he put his hands under my robes, quite down my lower back, reaching the area of my buttocks. I quickly held my shamtab tight and told him I was feeling very uncomfortable. He said ‘don’t worry it’s okay, we are brothers.’ So he started reciting more prayers and massaging and putting alcohol on my back. I’d like to remark the fact that during the whole situation he was very skillful in dissimulating and adopting a discrete attitude (reciting mantras and prayers louder) after having gone too close to my private parts.

Then he squatted with each foot on one side of my body and then sat on my buttocks, pressing his body on me several times. Then he told me to turn around.

He started to touch, massaging and putting alcohol in my belly and surrounding areas, trying to touch my breasts and pelvis, which he didn’t manage because I was holding my shirt tight on my breast with one hand and the shamtab with the other. Noticing this he started laughing and said ‘your a very good nun, very pure mind.’

At that point my body was completely covered in alcohol, then he told me to sit. I thought it was finished and I was about to dress up properly, but he told me to wait. I was sitting facing the wall and he was behind me, reciting mantras, etc. Suddenly he embraced me, from behind trying to touch my breasts with his hands. As I was swiftly trying to put one arm between my breast and his hands and using the other hand to hold my shamtab, I just noticed at then end that he was pushing he penis against my back.

When he let go he told me to take a shower in his private toilet. As I completely smelled like alcohol and it would have been really inappropriate to go outside like that, I approached the toilet, and he gave me his personal towel to dry my body. I had a really quick shower and when I came out he was seating on the bed-like throne that is in his room. He asked me to seat next to him while he was reading some prayers, he pulled the right side of his dingwa towards him to let me seat on that side of the bed. Then he asked me to touch his right arm, he asked me to massage it. I said I didn’t know how to give massages. Then, as I didn’t do it he rubbed his arm on my hand and legs (I was seating crossed legs on the bed-throne). Then he asked me to recite some mantras and said he was going to bless my chackras, he started touching the forehead, then the throat, and as I put my arms crossed on my breast and belly, he didn’t go for the ‘lower chackras’.

After that he told me to go to the other side of the room, where the chairs are, and wait. After finishing his recitation, he phoned to his attendant telling him that now it was okay to come back, but not to rush. When he arrived to the other side of the room I stood up, he came close to me and put his cheek on my neck and face and told me quietly in the ear ‘we are brothers’. I told him ‘actually we are not’.

Then he went to the room where he keeps the altar, and when he came back he had in his hands a dark plastic container of which the contents were not possible to be seen from outside. Then he told me this was the inner offering, and instructed me to drink one cap of it each day and to spread it also on my low back. While reciting mantras, again he put some of it in the containers cap and drank it, then filled it up again and told me I must drink it all at once because it is the inner offering, so I did, and off course it was and alcoholic substance. He laughed and said ‘be careful ani-la you will get drunk’, and the he drank more, then he gave me the plastic containers to take home, he said he put the alcohol there because otherwise it would have been inappropriate if people sees me carrying the bottle. Then he kept drinking from the other glass container. He told me not to tell anyone about this, and not to show anyone the ‘inner offering’.

The attendant came and he insisted me to go with them to Dharamkot for the fire puja, I told him that it was getting late and that I must go back to Tushita for the registration in the office. Then Rinpoche said they will give me a ride. We went out, the attendant stopped a taxi and we went up to Dharamkot. When the taxi reached Tushita’s private road, Rinpoche held my hand and put five hundred rupees in my bag.

I said goodbye to him and the attendant very cordially to not let the attendant suspect that any unusual thing happened. When I arrived at Tushita it was around 3.00pm.

Here are two letters in support of brave Jakaira (also known as Kunsang), taken from this page. They are from people who knew her 10 years ago, and who witnessed the meetings between Jakaira, the Dalai Lama’s Office and Dagri Rinpoche. One of the letters clearly states that it was Tenzin Taklha, the Dalai Lama’s Private Secretary who attended the meeting. There are some who are attempting to discredit Jakaira’s account of what Dagri Rinpoche did a decade ago, so it is good that these women are coming forward to stand up for female rights, to speak about a crime and to support the revelation of the truth. It shows very much that Ms Jakaira has told the truth about what Dagri Rinpoche did to her.

Letter of support from Karma Yeshe. Click to see the larger version.

Letter of support from Tenzin Yangchen. Click to see the larger version.

Transcript/Translation

Letter of support from Karma Yeshe

I am one of Kunsang’s friends. I used to be a nun known as Karma Yeshe, and used to stay in Dharamsala area.

I recall that I accompanied then Ani Kunsang to the offices of HH Dalai Lama for a face to face meeting with Dagri Rinpoche and Chime La from HH’s office, when the nun who was supposed to accompany her suddenly couldn’t come.

That was the very first time and only time that I have seen or met Rinpoche, but I have heard Kunsang’s story and have heard of another incident where he tried to kiss another friend of ours who is a nun from America.

From my memory of that meeting, Rinpoche was with his attendant and he was appearing quite meek and innocent, and claiming that he was only trying to help ani la.

In the meeting Kunsang was firm in her version of what happened, she did not cry nor apologize (like Rinpoche is reported to be claiming). In fact I think it was Rinpoche apologizing for what I think he claims as a misunderstanding of the events.

This is not a one-off isolated case of Kunsang as a single accuser. I think that some western nuns have already written statements 10 years ago, and now more stories are coming out of the woodwork.

I recall that Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo was very supportive of Kunsang and of the nuns in the same situations, saying that they must speak out.

Bravo to all the brave victims of such abuse who have spoken out, and to the Indian woman on the plane, her courage has been a catalyst for these stories to come out in the open!

Letter of support from Tenzin Yangchen

And here another letter of support from another nun (also good friend of mine): my name is tenzin yangchen, i am a nun since 2009 and most of the time i live in dharamsala, india. i met kunsang ten years ago in india, i got to know of her traumatic experience (and the one of other nuns) shortly after we met.

at that time being aware of rinpoches misconduct i had a brief discussion with sister jotika asking her advice
of how to best deal with the situation. later i was with kunsang in a meeting she had in namgyal with the secretary of hh the dalai lama mr. tenzin Takla. i recall him telling us that rinpoches behavior was a disgrace to hh and the dharma. i accompanied kunsang when she met ven robina in tushita and i know of her discussing the issue with jetsuma tenzin palmo and nechung rinpoche. since then kunsang has been exposed to different kind of reactions, some were supportive, especially jetsuma tenzin palmo encouraging her to report it, while others, some nuns and lay persons rather condemned kunsang for what had happened. i recall comments about her not having pure vision, someone telling her that she will go to hell and even others visited rinpoche to express their support to him. there were comments even about her physical appearance, as that would give a teacher or anyone else the right to molest, abuse and harm others!

the situation affected not only the ones who were directly harmed by rinpoche’s behavior but in a way all of us. we all know that this is not an isolated case and should consider that our attitude of knowing but not breaking the silence can be harmful to others!

The public is calling for Dagri Rinpoche to be suspended and investigatedIt is without doubt that Ms Jakaira was a victim of sex predator Dagri Rinpoche.

What happened to Ms Jakaira is not an isolated incident and Dagri Rinpoche has molested scores of other women over the years. More and more people are coming forward and some have revealed that sexual abuse is not an uncommon incident within FPMT! This is shocking.

FPMT often promotes Dagri Rinpoche and he is frequently pictured together with the head of the organization, Lama Zopa. Now that Dagri Rinpoche has been arrested for sexual assault, will FPMT remain silent or will they continue to promote him as a valid source for teachings?

What is more shocking is that FPMT spiritual head Lama Zopa Rinpoche and FPMT directors knew about Dagri Rinpoche’s sexual abuse of his female students but they covered it up. Dagri Rinpoche is often photographed with Lama Zopa. FPMT continues to heavily promote Dagri Rinpoche as one of their senior registered teachers. FPMT centres around the world host Dagri Rinpoche at major Buddhist festivals such as Wesak Day.

FPMT also encourages this sex predator to give teachings, initiations and ceremonies in their centres all around the world. Many have received initiations and empowerments from Dagri Rinpoche but it is highly likely that their initiation is just a sham because it is impossible for them to receive any blessings from someone who has broken his monk vows and sexually assaulted women. Think of all the FPMT students who will lose faith and feel cheated and disgusted that their vajra master is a sexual molester and that their practice is invalid!

So, although Dagri Rinpoche has been reported to the authorities by the Indian lady and jailed, and despite Ms Jakaira’s video testimony, FPMT still schedule him to give teachings and promote his events to the public. This is nothing more than complete and total irresponsibility on the part of FPMT. It is both shameful and surprising that FPMT is doing this so blatantly.

According to the most basic standards of human decency, FPMT should not take Dagri Rinpoche’s sex offences lightly and try to sweep them under the carpet. Innocent members of the public are being exposed to great harm at FPMT events every time the FPMT Board of Directors and Committee Members choose profit over the welfare of their members and guests.

FPMT London Jamyang Buddhist Centre also promotes their upcoming events with Dagri Rinpoche

Why doesn’t Lama Zopa put an immediate stop to Dagri Rinpoche’s visits to all their centres? Why don’t FPMT’s directors immediately cancel all events featuring Dagri Rinpoche as the guest of honour? At the time of writing, why is Dagri Rinpoche still featured as the “headliner” for the Wesak Day event at Losang Dragpa Centre (FPMT Malaysia) in May 2019? At Leeds Jamyang Buddhist Centre’s (FPMT UK) teachings and initiations in June 2019? At London Jamyang Buddhist Centre’s (FPMT UK) teachings and initiations in July 2019?

Now that the truth about Dagri Rinpoche has come to light, imagine how all the students who have received teachings and initiations from him are going to feel! They will be disgusted with Dagri Rinpoche, they will feel cheated by FPMT, and maybe they will even lose faith in Buddhism.

What is more, Dagri Rinpoche has also ordained hundreds of monks and nuns over the last decade. How valid are their vows now, and are they really monks and nuns given that they received their ordination from someone who has been breaking his monk vows all this while? Overall, it is a very difficult situation exacerbated by FPMT’s irresponsibility in handling the whole matter.

It is obvious that Lama Zopa Rinpoche and FPMT were informed regarding Dagri Rinpoche’s molestation of various women as far back as a decade ago and they have done nothing in the time since then. In fact, they told her, as well as other people, to keep quiet and not to publicise the information. This allowed him to continue unchecked, and to do what he has been doing up until now when he was arrested. All the victims feel outraged and angry that he was allowed to go on, and there were no consequences imposed for his crimes. In the secular world, outside of the monasteries and Buddhist centres, he would already be behind bars!

Lama Zopa told her not to tell people but Adelaide Foster has decided to speak up in these three videos (Tibetan, English and French) to let everyone know that Dagri Rinpoche is not being truthful. She seems to know the inside news as she has been in the Tibetan scene for a long time.

In English

In Français

Transcript/Translation

Hello, today, Dagri Rinpoche published a statement in Tibetan regarding the allegations of sexual molestation made against him. The letter was published in Tibetan only unfortunately, and in Sera Monastery in South India.For those who don’t speak Tibetan, I will give an overview of some of the points raised in that letter, in that statement. So Rinpoche talks about the two incidents he’s been involved in. The first one that happened on May 2nd 2019 on a flight from Delhi to Dharamsala and the second one is an incident that happened almost 10, I think more or less 10 years ago in India in Dharamsala. The first one from the flight involves an Indian woman, who involved the police and the police arrested Dagri Rinpoche before releasing him on bail.

So first of all, the account Dagri Rinpoche gives about this incident is that during the flight he wasn’t comfortable, and he moved and this woman woke up and started saying things to him which he did not understand according to him, and because he didn’t understand and out of the kindness of his heart he smiled at her. Few lines later, he says she accused him of touching her everywhere. I wonder when Rinpoche got to understand what she said, usually, you have to understand that in these flights there are always Tibetans, and Tibetans speak Hindi because they usually have stayed in India for a long while, so I find it very unlikely that he did not understand what had happened.

Nevertheless, the two accounts, a few sentences apart, seem quite different. So, the second molestation charge that he mentioned is from Jakaira’s recent video and she talks about a time, 10 years ago more or less, when she was molested by Rinpoche. At that time I was in Dharamshala, and you heard that I was a friend and am still her friend and I saw her, how distraught she was at the time, that was not faked. I have seen how she is not like that, usually. How Dagri Rinpoche is the only person with whom she had that problem, and she has never talked about any other problem of the same kind, about other people doing that to her, so that’s something maybe people should know.

Dagri Rinpoche in the statement he made, he refers to her as ‘ani’, which is aunty in Tibetan, it’s how you call nuns when you are not very respectful, and I’ve hardly seen it written. Usually in written Tibetan, so when you write Tibetan and the way you speak Tibetan, it’s almost two different languages. And the way you write, when you talk about a nun, you write ‘tsunma’. I think it’s really one of the first time I’ve seen it written in this non-respectful way. He’s entitled to his opinions of course, but it pops to your mind when you see it because usually you don’t. And the first thing he says is that this ani was coming, this nun was coming, this auntie was coming with mind and body problems. She had problems of the mind, that’s literally what he’s written in the statement. That’s something that occurred to her, at some other point one of her friend was accosted by Dagri Rinpoche’s attendant ten years ago allegedly. I have no proof. This friend can’t talk about it and the attendant told her without knowing they were friends, that Jakaira was crazy, after the incident, of course. So that’s not something new, that he calls people crazy without any proof.

Tibetan society is very hierarchical and what you show, and your reputation, and your face, saving face is extremely important. So he was building a negative reputation around her, and again this letter is again using the same methods to discriminate her testimony. In the more than ten years that I have known Jakaira, I’ve not seen signs of mental issues. I’m studying, I’m in grad school in Psychology, hopefully I should be able to notice if people have strong mental issues.

Rinpoche also in the statement mentioned six witnesses that can testify that he’s right about what happened because they had a meeting. I don’t know how long but I was told it wasn’t like a few months I think. I’m not sure exactly what was the timeline, but quite soon after the molestation incident they had a meeting because Jakaira had talked to, had sent an affidavit of her testimony to His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s office, as well as the head of the FPMT Roger, Venerable Roger. And the second six witnesses that took part in a meeting that can testify actually include Rinpoche himself, and includes Jakaira, includes her friend, includes Chimila who was working, with working at His Holiness Dalai Lama’s Office, Private Office, as well as the attendant of Rinpoche. So, the six witnesses disagree to what Rinpoche say, I cannot say all of them because of course, Rinpoche’s attendant and Rinpoche will not disagree with themselves.

Hopefully this is good because then, we will go back into the mental issue. Issue, problem, problematic. I was not at that meeting, I cannot testify. What I have to say about this is hearsay, and that it is Jakaira herself just told me then and now again that Rinpoche actually apologized to her at that meeting

And then there is two other things I want to mention about that statement. The statement continues on that people that point fingers at him do that with anger and attachment, anger, hate, and attachment and they collect bad karma so Rinpoche requests, let’s say don’t collect bad karma by talking about his negativities, no, talking him bad about him. Doesn’t acknowledge he did anything wrong. This is an implied threat because he wants to shut people up, he wants to make people stop talking about him, in that way talking about the problematic here and that if they do talk they’d have very bad karma. So the statement, the public statement and by stating that he hopes everybody is happy. Basically, I don’t remember exactly the wording, but it’s again a bit different from what he has said, written before that, that he was not himself very respectful, but he hoped that people will be respectful, and will be happy and collect all positive karma by shutting up in parenthesis.

Anyway, one last thing I want to say about this issue is that please be aware that the Tibetan communities, the monastic communities are very hierarchical, people on top are very powerful, and it’s not an easy thing to speak out, and very few people have done so, but we’ve heard many testimonies of things similar happening around Dagri Rinpoche. I don’t want people to be hurt in that. I was advised not to talk about it because, by some, because they threatened my position in Dharamsala, and by others because in Dharma you’re in Buddhist practice, you’re supposed to only talk about the qualities of others and your own negativities, and that’s it.

But people get hurt, and it’s not okay to let people get hurt, whether it’s for a hierarchical belief or religious belief or spiritual belief, it’s not okay to hurt people and to let people get hurt. You have to take position sometimes, and thank gods, or thank science, because if we did not take position, we will let things happen. If people in the Second World War hadn’t taken a position, how many people would have died, would have been killed? Taking position is one of a human value or for human characteristics, and using our human intelligence, we can and we should be aware of what’s happening around us and not believe that people who have a big name, who are said to be so and so, can only be perfect.

People have to use their human intelligence, they have to check around, to see by themselves, to try to be unbiased in these things to make up their mind, but that’s a step to be unbiased. It’s the first step toward a decision, toward a side taking, and it shouldn’t be that people just stop there and become mindless.

So, please people, do look around, ask yourself why Rinpoche hasn’t been in FPMT centres in Australia for a while. Ask yourself, ask yourself why some ethical rules of the FPMT are not answered. Ask yourself, what is happening? Think by yourself, analyze situation because Dharma is about finding the truth and looking for the truth and not just accepting things and staying silent. So, thank you very much and just relax and be happy.

Sean Jones explains that in Australia, Dagri Rinpoche is not welcome in some centres. They cancelled his visits after they learned about his abusive behaviour many years ago. This is precisely what centres should do after becoming aware of Dagri Rinpoche’s offences. They should not be inviting him to teach all around the world, thereby exposing more innocent, vulnerable members of the public to his abuse.

People have also started questioning why the Dalai Lama endorses spiritual teachers who are sex abusers. Dagri Rinpoche now joins the ranks of Dalai Lama-endorsed sexual offenders such as Sogyal Rinpoche, Sakyong Mipham, Lama Yeshe Nyingpo, Gangten Tulku, Lama Norlha, Lama Choedak Rinpoche and Tenzin Dhonden. Doubt in the Dalai Lama’s ‘seal of approval’ is growing and the Dalai Lama really needs to take action and speak up strongly against these Buddhist teachers who are abusing their power and position, and tarnishing the Dharma with their actions. These teachers are bringing Buddhism down.

What FPMT should have done

In contrast to FPMT’s handling of the Dagri Rinpoche’s exposé, Sravasti Abbey have taken the higher road. After news broke regarding Dagri Rinpoche’s abuses, it took Sravasti Abbey only a few days to remove mentions of Dagri Rinpoche being one of their advisors from their website. They have also removed his videos from their site.

Sravasti Abbey removed Dagri Rinpoche from their website. Click to see larger version.

When Googling ‘Dagri Rinpoche’, Sravasti Abbey has already removed him which is the right thing to do. Clicking on the search result above takes you to a broken page, which announces that the content has been removed. Click to see larger version.

Before

After

Following Sravasti Abbey’s example, Jamyang Centre in Leeds, UK has already removed Dagri Rinpoche from their list of upcoming events and also from their list of teachers.

Before

After

Before

After

Land Of Joy has also removed Dagri Rinpoche from their list of upcoming events.

This is good and exactly what all Dharma centres and institutions should do upon hearing of the abusive behaviour of one of their teachers. Interestingly, Dagri Rinpoche is still under investigation but Sravasti are already treating him as though he has committed all those acts. Perhaps they have some inside news; many Tibetans confirm that they have heard these rumours circulating for many, many years from wherever Dagri Rinpoche has visited. It is definitely not a one- or two-off case or misunderstanding as FPMT would like us to believe. The Abbey’s spiritual director, Ven Thubten Chodron, explains that Ms Jakaira and the Indian plane victim’s reports are not the first time she has heard about sexual offences being committed by Dagri Rinpoche.

Nun Thubten Chodron Speaks Out Against Dagri Rinpoche

Western Buddhist teacher Thubten Chodron talks about Dagri Rinpoche in her 15-minute video. She mentions at 01:52-05:06 that she has heard of the allegations against him. Dagri Rinpoche was one of Sravasti Abbey’s spiritual advisors and also gave talks at their Dharma centre. The video was published on May 10, 2019.

Transcript (01:52 – 05:06)

I had heard other allegations, you know a couple of years ago, about the same teacher but at that time I was only hearing a second hand [account] here, a second hand [account] there. The people who were making the allegations weren’t identified, I wasn’t told their names, I could not go talk to them, I couldn’t ask them questions. There was no investigation with a published report and so based on just that, a lack of information, there was no way I could say, yeah, you know, make a conclusion about the whole thing. I just had to leave it very open. So now, I’m really hoping that… I’m sure the police will do something but I think more than that, [it] is necessary that the one Dharma group where he [teaches], the big Dharma organisation (FPMT) where he teaches a lot, I think they should do an independent investigation because for these kinds of things if you just kind of sit back and wait, then the air doesn’t get cleared up and nobody knows for sure what happened. And I think it’s better, you know, have a party that isn’t involved in this at all do an investigation and talk to the various people. And I think the women who you know have been molested should come forth, if there’s an investigation like this, and talk to the people. Maybe they don’t want to be identified by their name but they should at least speak to the investigators if there is an investigation which I sure hope there is because in these kinds of things I think you have to get reliable information because it also has happened, I think it was a couple of years ago or maybe one year ago when this whole thing exploded about another lama. I gave a whole series of talks…

Last Words

The fact that you have come across this website probably means that you are looking for more information about Dagri Rinpoche and his sexual offences. I assure you that this is only the tip of the iceberg and more and more people will come forward to tell the truth about Dagri Rinpoche and hopefully release the guilt and pain they must be feeling after keeping all they have gone through inside.

Inspired by what His Holiness the Dalai Lama said regarding sexual predators, I decided to create this website for awareness and to give strength to other victims, to stop Dagri Rinpoche from continuing what he is doing and for my own healing process to begin.

If you, dear reader, have some information to share, please write it in the comments section below. And please do not read this post and go away doing nothing about it. Please do not allow serial molester Dagri Rinpoche get away with his chronic abuse of women. Please do not let FPMT continue to cover up for this sexual predator. I beg you, please do not let them get away with it. Please contact Lama Zopa Rinpoche and FPMT headquarters to request them to do something about this immediately so that no more women will be hurt by Dagri Rinpoche and the others like him within FPMT.

Approximate translation:

Watch a news report of a man accused of assaulting a woman on a flight from Delhi to Kangra who has been taken into custody.

On a flight arriving at Kangra airport from Delhi, a man molested a woman sitting on the plane. Upon reaching the airport the woman filed a report with the police. The report was lodged in Gaggal. The authorities have arrested the accused and taken him into police custody.

The accused is a resident of Bylakuppe but for some time has been working in Mcleod Ganj at the Dalai Lama’s Office. The woman, a resident from Kinnaur, told police in her sworn statement that the 65-year-old Dagri Rinpoche Thubten Jangchub, a resident of Bylakuppe, molested her on the plane.

P.S.: I know this doesn’t have anything to do with what we’re talking about here, but H.H. the Dalai Lama has been ill recently. I’ve been quite concerned and I hope His Holiness lives very long. If you’ve been reading until this point, please say a little prayer for His Holiness’ good health and long life if you can. Thank you very much.

A third victim has spoken up!

Ms Shin Young Sun, the third victim to speak up about Dagri Rinpoche’s sexual abuse

Just a few days after the tell-all video from Ms Jakaira, a third victim has revealed that she was molested by Dagri Rinpoche while she was an innocent spiritual seeker living in Dharamsala between 2005-2009. Korean national Ms Shin Young Sun (신영선) was molested by Dagri Rinpoche who fondled her breast while she was visiting his residence in Dharamsala. By the way, this is not the first time Dagri Rinpoche has molested other women’s breasts. His other victims have reported similar encounters.

Just like Ms Jakaira, a horrified Ms Shin reported the incident to the Dalai Lama’s Office but the people there brushed her off and told her, “Dalai Lama is very busy!” And when she tried to find justice by reporting what transpired to Ling Rinpoche (a high ranking monk of the Gelug school), Ling Rinpoche did nothing about it. All he said was, “It is really bad thing.”

Ms Shin waited and waited but eventually realised that the Tibetan establishment and the Tibetan spiritual leadership were not going to do anything to penalise Dagri Rinpoche for his sexual offences despite her making multiple reports while in Dharamsala. Just like FPMT is doing today, the Dalai Lama’s Office and Ling Rinpoche chose to sweep Dagri Rinpoche’s abuse under the carpet hoping that no one would find out and the victims would eventually give up trying to see justice done.

Ms Shin decided to speak up to show her support to Ms Jakaira who has received criticism and flak from Dagri Rinpoche loyalists, and because the Dalai Lama’s Office still refuses to react to the unfolding Dagri Rinpoche scandal. It probably wasn’t an easy decision for her, being a lady of Asian descent, as she is married with children and it is also somewhat taboo to speak of sexual abuse within Asian culture. Hence it must have taken a great deal of courage for Ms Shin to come forward with her experiences. She is not looking for recompense, attention or sympathy. All she is doing is standing up for her friend (Ms Jakaira) and all other victims of Dagri Rinpoche’s sexual abuses. I applaud her bravery and I hope she will inspire many others to gather their courage to come forward so that the serial sex offender Dagri Rinpoche will be stopped from harming women once and for all.

Ms Shin Young Sun’s painful revelation of how she was molested by Dagri Rinpoche. Click here to see the larger version or click here to see it on her timeline.

Transcript/Translation

Actually, i wanted to waiting for H.H Dalai lama office`s reacts about Dagri rinpoche`s issue. But you guys seems like to just want to hide this issue as usual. So, i have decided to stand for Kunsang who was a nun in the Dharamsala 10 years ago. I, myself, i had already forgave the Dagri rinpoche. But i write this post for other victims. Because they seems like still experience the hardships. I was an one of victims of Dagri rinpoche.My Tibetan name is a Karma Yangchen, Yangchen Dolma or Thupten Dolma. I get a name of Thupten Dolma from a Dagri rinpoche. I was in India between 2005 to 2009. I was a Sarah college student in the Dharamsala.One day, when i was visited to the Dagri rinpoche`s place near by the H.H Dalai lama`s place, Dagri rinpoche hand has grabbed the my breast. I asked to him with cold voice, “Is it good?” And he answered to me “Yes. “ I had to just left away from his place. Because i neeed to protect myself. However, many kinds of thoughts were raised in that moments.

Could it be a bad karma for myself? Did i carelessly let his hands stopped?

I wanted to informend it to H.H Dalai lama`s offfice. But H.H Dalai lama`s offfice told me that just H.H Dalai lama is very busy. I wanted to let this accident to informed a rinpoche who belonged to Geluk lineage. So, i went to the Ling rinpoche`s place. But he tolds me just “It is really bad thing.” Then….. nothing happend. So, i was very frustrated.

So, this happening became a cause to let me go back to the Korea. I shared this stories with Julia Wilson, Tenzin Weigyel, Paldron Hyoam and etcs 10 years ago.

Can you guess how suffered i was? I had to blamed several rinpoches and H.H Karmapa rinpoche including H.H Dalai lama.

Because i thought they didn`t really protect me as a their disciple. Now, i am still a buddhist, married in Korea and have a daughter. As i already mentioned, i had already forgave the Dagri rinpoche. But still there have some victims, i have decided to stand for them. I can understand how precious your guru is. I can understand why you want to strand for your rinpoche. But i just wish that you could understood the victims `s suffering either. And i think that i need to stand for victims in this moment.

I don`t want any repay. And actually, no one can repay for my past sufferings. They were already gone in my mind. But if you are trying to ignore the Kunsang`s sufferings… (who was a buddhist nun 10 years ago) I won`t just stay calm. Because she is a precious being as a your rinpoche.

Transcript/Translation

Shortly after Ms Shin shared her story on Facebook, Sera Je Monastery’s Tsawa Khangtsen issued a ridiculous statement blaming Dholgyal followers for spreading lies about Dagri Rinpoche’s sexual exploits. Sera Je Monastery goes on to accuse the people sharing this news of being prejudiced against Dagri Rinpoche and for not doing sufficient due diligence into the accuracy of the accusations.

Sera Je Monastery’s Tsawa Khangtsen’s statement. Click to see the larger version or click here for the Tibetan version

For those who may not be aware, Dholgyal is a derogatory term for Dorje Shugden, a Tibetan Buddhist deity whose followers have been unjustly persecuted within the Tibetan Buddhist community. They are often made scapegoats for all manner of failures of the Tibetan government and spiritual establishment.

This statement shows how out of touch Sera Je (and the rest of the Tibetan community) is with the real world. Are we so gullible to believe that the Indian lady from Kinnaur is a Dholgyal follower who decided to cook up a media firestorm by accusing Dagri Rinpoche of molestation? That the Indian police are Dholgyal followers who conspired to arrest Dagri Rinpoche because they were possessed by Mara’s forces? That the Indian and world media outlets are also Dholgyal followers perpetrating a global conspiracy against Dagri Rinpoche? That Ms Jakaira and Ms Shin are Dholgyal followers who hatched a decade-long scheme to discredit Dagri Rinpoche, even going so far as to make a false police report 10 years ago? Does Sera Je Monastery really think that a one-page denial of guilt by Dagri Rinpoche is enough to make us all believe that he is innocent? How dare Sera Je Monastery say that these victims who have suffered in silence for years are bluffing about being sexually violated??

Dagri Rinpoche’s statement. Click to see the larger version or click here for the Tibetan version

The truth is often the simplest explanation – Dagri Rinpoche committed multiple sex offences and more and more victims are coming out to speak up about his abuse. And Sera Je is trying to distract attention away from Dagri Rinpoche by going completely off tangent and pointing blame at Dholgyal or Dorje Shugden worshippers.

Now Ms Shin has released a series of old photos that support her account of what Dagri Rinpoche did to her. She is rightfully demanding an apology from Sera Je for their ridiculous letter accusing her of being a “Dholgyal follower”, and challenging them to confront Dagri Rinpoche and extract the truth from him. Her clarion call for justice to be done will not fall on deaf ears. Sera Je has made a huge blunder by writing this letter and putting blame on Dorje Shugden followers. They must apologise for their error, not only to Ms Shin, Ms Jakaira and the Indian lady from Kinnaur but to all women and victims of sexual abuse and also to the Indian police and global media outlets who have carried this news.

The latest revelation from Ms Shin. Click to see the larger version

Transcript/Translation

Ok. I am warning you now.
You better to apologize properly and request the forgiveness to all.
I read some report and news concerning with my facebook post.
Now, i will give you my photos on this post.
Utilize them as your wish.
And if you have an opportunity to meet a Dagri rinpoche, please show my photo and ask to him that is he really grabbed her breast or not on 2008.
You know, why am i do this?
I want to see that you could be justice enough on your Geluk society and lineage as you did to other lineages.
Better to fix it soon.

Sera Je Monastery’s lame effort to direct blame towards Dorje Shugden followers has backfired on Dagri Rinpoche and Sera Monastery. This poorly conceived attempt at distracting public attention away from Dagri Rinpoche’s sexual offenses has resulted in more proof being brought to light, further cementing Dagri Rinpoche’s reputation as a sexual predator.Tenzin Peljor is studying at Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa which is a branch of FPMT in Italy. He is slightly known for his blog that talks about Tibetan Buddhist issues. In the past, Tenzin Peljor was a staunch supporter of Lama Zopa and FPMT. It will be interesting to see what he does now given the current situation surrounding Dagri Rinpoche and FPMT. Will Tenzin Peljor do what is right, stand up for Dagri Rinpoche’s victims and call FPMT out for their deception? Or will he be more concerned about his own interests given that he is studying there and do nothing?There is an outpouring of support for Ms Shin and a widespread call for Dagri Rinpoche to apologise for sexually molesting her and for FPMT to conduct a proper impartial investigation.Continuous support for Ms Shin from various countriesMs Shin speaking up for Ms Jakaira and herself by posting her comments on Tibet Sun.

FPMT Malaysia bows to public pressure

Following the public outcry surrounding Dagri Rinpoche’s sex scandals, FPMT Malaysia’s Losang Dragpa Centre has been embarrassed into changing the guest of honour for their upcoming Wesak Day celebrations from Dagri Rinpoche to Geshe Tsundu.

Dagri Rinpoche is no longer the guest of honour at FPMT Malaysia’s Losang Dragpa Centre

Losang Dragpa Centre has also released an official statement which has glaring omissions and errors. First of all, it claims that “several negative comments have been circulating in social media”. This is a gross understatement. There have been hundreds of negative comments against Dagri Rinpoche. Women have come forward, not anonymously but showing their faces, to write and speak and make videos about their experiences with Dagri Rinpoche. Some have even revealed that sex scandals are nothing new in FPMT and many have been covered up by FPMT leadership.

Yet, in the face of all this evidence, the centre and its director Dato’ Dr Goh Pik Pin continue to throw their support behind Dagri Rinpoche. Dato’ Dr Goh Pik Pin writes that Dagri Rinpoche is “a teacher of undisputed standing.” This is a total untruth. There are lots of disputes surrounding Dagri Rinpoche with many people speaking up against him, and one centre after another dropping him from the list of teachers on their websites.

Next, Dato’ Dr Goh Pik Pin states that the centre “offers its continuing respect and devotion.” Has Dato’ Dr Goh Pik Pin read the victims’ accounts of their ordeal with Dagri Rinpoche? Has she watched Ms Jakaria’s video and read Ms Shin’s statement? If she has, then being a woman herself, I wonder if she has difficulty sleeping at night knowing that members of her centre may have been abused over the course of the past decade at Dagri Rinpoche’s hands.

The fact that Dagri Rinpoche “deferred his visit” clearly shows his guilt. If he isn’t guilty, why would he stay away? Him deferring his visit shows that he is guilty and wants to hide from the public eye and criticism. It would have been so much better if Losang Dragpa Centre had said that they are not accepting Dagri Rinpoche’s visit at this time due to the on-going situation. Regardless of whatever they say in their statement, it’s obvious that Losang Dragpa Centre needs to cover up their embarrassment in inviting a sex molester to lead their Wesak Day event. It’s too bad because it would have looked so much better if they had cancelled his visit.

Lastly, Dagri Rinpoche’s cheap one page statement of denial does not exonerate him at all. Just look at the cases of other lama sex offenders such as Sogyal Rinpoche and Sakyong Mipham. Each of them issued little letters of denial but in the end, independent investigations showed that they were guilty. It’s all true and you can read about it all over the Internet. So, definitely his little one page denial does not exonerate Dagri Rinpoche from facing the consequences of his actions, and it does not exonerate FPMT from the responsibility of not removing him from their teaching circuit decades ago.

I wonder if other FPMT centres who are scheduled to host Dagri Rinpoche in the coming months will cancel their upcoming teachings and initiations? I certainly hope Alison Murdoch, Chairperson of FPMT’s London and Leeds Jamyang Buddhist Centres, and the director of FPMT’s Land of Joy retreat centre in Northumberland will take heed of the potential danger their members are in from Dagri Rinpoche’s wandering hands and take action before the victims pile up and the lawsuits start pouring in.

It also looks like FPMT Malaysia’s Losang Dragpa Buddhist Society is breaking away and rebelling against FPMT International, and not listening to Lama Zopa Rinpoche!

The letter from the Center Services Director of the FPMT International Office in Portland Oregon (left) states that “if the investigation results do determine that the accusation is correct, then we [FPMT] would follow the guidelines described under Administering the ETHICAL POLICY, in the ETHICS AND ETHICAL POLICY section of the Affiliates Area and it could impact Dagri Rinpoche’s inclusion on the FPMT registered teachers list, as per the FPMT Ethical Policy.”

Click to see a larger version

However, FPMT Malaysia’s Losang Dragpa Buddhist Society’s official statement (right) states that “the Indian authorities and also the FPMT have to carry out their own formal processes in the meantime.”

So, FPMT International is telling concerned members of the public that the investigation into Dagri Rinpoche’s sex offences will be done by the police. But FPMT Malaysia’s Losang Dragpa Buddhist Society a.k.a. Losang Dragpa Centre says that FPMT themselves have to carry out investigations too. Who should we listen to? Which statement reflects FPMT’s actual approach to the Dagri Rinpoche sex scandal? Who is telling the truth and who is trying to pull wool over the eyes of the public? Bear in mind that Dagri Rinpoche was scheduled to headline the Wesak Day celebrations at Losang Dragpa Centre. Is Losang Dragpa Centre telling people that an FPMT internal investigation will be done just to appease agitated members and the local authorities?

What’s more, FPMT’s international head office is saying that they will wait for the investigation to conclude. But that is nowhere near enough. Given that Dagri Rinpoche is a FPMT-registered and endorsed teacher, FPMT should take the initiative to conduct a full and impartial investigation themselves because this is and will continue to be very damaging to their reputation. They have allowed this to happen in their Dharma centres, they have invited a sex fiend amongst their unsuspecting members. The very fact that this is happening in their centres tells us that their so-called Ethical Policy watchers and enforcers are very loose, out to lunch and perhaps negligent. FPMT should not take this lightly because there are many victims and families involved. FPMT purport to preach compassion, love and acceptance yet when something like this happens right in their own backyard, they take it very lightly and instead of addressing the issue properly in a Buddhist manner, they instead take steps to deceive and conceal it from the public. What are you going to do now FPMT??

More shocking news surfaces of FPMT covering up sexual abuse

This email supporting the cause to take action against sexual molesters within the ranks of FPMT’s teachers has revealed it is not just Dagri Rinpoche who is accused of assaulting members. Geshe Thubten Chonyi, who is now the current Abbot of FPMT’s Kopan Monastery in Nepal has allegedly abused members of Amitabha Buddhist Centre in Singapore, when he was a resident teacher there. He is said to have committed “shameful and disgusting” sexual misconduct with a female student.

FPMT has been hiding these predators for too long and even promoted them to the highest positions within their organisation. This behaviour is disgraceful. It’s high time that FPMT takes action against all those that do not follow their own codes of conduct. If FPMT don’t take action, these victims will take their grievances to the media and expose FPMT further. More and more victims are coming forward to tell people of the sexual abuse that occurs within FPMT. How long more will the FPMT remain quiet on the issue??

Too little too late: FPMT finally suspends Dagri Rinpoche

FPMT’s Head Office has finally caved in to public pressure and issued a statement, which is very interesting because it shows clearly that Jakaira Perez Valdiva (a.k.a Kunsang) of Spain was correct. She filed a report with the Dalai Lama’s Private Office and they held a meeting to mediate between her and Dagri Rinpoche (a.k.a Thupten Lhundrup Tenpai Gyaltsen / Thupten Jangchup). So, Jakaira Perez Valdiva was molested by Dagri Rinpoche and both the FPMT and Dalai Lama’s Private Office knew about it and they hushed it up.

FPMT’s official statement admits that both FPMT and the Dalai Lama’s Office had prior knowledge of Dagri Rinpoche’s sexual abuses. Click to see the larger version.

English

Update Regarding Dagri Rinpoche

14 May 2019

Dagri Rinpoche has for many years been one of the Tibetan teachers on FPMT’s Tibetan Teachers List.

The Indian police last week received a formal complaint from a woman who was on a commercial airline flight with Dagri Rinpoche in India, accusing Dagri Rinpoche of inappropriate behaviour during the flight. Furthermore, another woman recently made allegations about misconduct by Dagri Rinpoche 10 years ago, which she shared via a YouTube video.

FPMT International Office understands that best practice is to suspend a teacher from teaching while an investigation is ongoing, in order to protect students, and the teacher. The investigation into what happened on the flight is currently being conducted by the Indian police.

We have therefore temporarily suspended Dagri Rinpoche from the FPMT Tibetan Teachers List with immediate effect, pending the conclusion of the police investigation. This means that Dagri Rinpoche may not teach, or be invited to teach, in any FPMT center during this suspension. FPMT teacher suspension does not indicate an assumption of guilt.

Dagri Rinpoche sent International Office this personal statement regarding the allegations.

Regarding the allegations made on YouTube, we have reached out directly to the woman who posted the video. In 2011, His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Private Office informed us that they had received an allegation by this woman against Dagri Rinpoche. The Private Office informed us that they had investigated the allegations, and that they had resolved the matter with the woman. They informed us that Dagri Rinpoche understood the seriousness of the allegations and committed to avoid situations which could give rise to similar allegations in the future.

Therefore, we maintained Dagri Rinpoche’s listing on the FPMT Tibetan Teachers List. However, we took our responsibility to students seriously, and alerted FPMT regional and national coordinators about the matter, asking them to inform any center which had invited or was planning to invite Dagri Rinpoche, so that they could consider their invitation in light of this information. We also took the opportunity to review FPMT policies and processes to see if any further amendments were needed to ensure the safety of students, teachers, and centers.

We sent a reminder about this to the coordinators last year, as we were told that talk was circulating about Dagri Rinpoche.

We have received no complaints about Dagri Rinpoche since 2011.

Our recent decision to suspend Dagri Rinpoche is consistent with the emphasis which the FPMT organization places on ethical behavior.

FPMT policies and guidelines are instituted to help individuals in positions of authority to uphold a safe, respectful environment in their local center, project, or service. These include:

* Abiding within the Law
* FPMT Ethical Policy
* Grievance procedure guideline
* Teacher Policy and guidelines, which help ensure that Dharma teachings are provided only by those who are qualified to teach Dharma (FPMT registered teachers)

Lama Zopa Rinpoche has given this advice for Dagri Rinpoche’s students on how to relate to this situation from a Dharma perspective.

Nearly a week after Dagri Rinpoche was arrested for molesting another woman, an Indian lady on a Delhi-Dharamsala flight, the FPMT statement was released announcing that they have suspended Dagri Rinpoche from their list of official teachers. This means that Dagri Rinpoche will no longer be allowed to teach in or visit any FPMT centres. The suspension shows that FPMT believe the allegations of the women who are speaking up against Dagri Rinpoche.

It is one thing for FPMT to know about Dagri Rinpoche’s abuse, but it is another thing to hush it up and keep it quiet. The horrible thing about this whole issue is that FPMT, instead of eliminating him from their list of teachers at an earlier time, continued to send him all over the world, allowing many more women to become his unsuspecting victims. For this, FPMT is wrong and they should issue a public apology and own up. In the truest sense of the word, what they are doing is a crime, punishable by law and in some countries punishable by sentencing to jail.

Because it happened in India and they know that India is somewhat corrupt, they were able to pay off certain authorities and keep it quiet; after all Ms Jakaira did report it to the police. Now that everyone is back in their respective countries and there is the power of social media, FPMT has been shamed into acknowledging everything they knew happened. Yet they continue to send him on their teaching rounds at their centres.

FPMT should have long ago suspended and disqualified Dagri Rinpoche from teaching, which they did not. And it is surprising that FPMT would allow their own members around the world to be subjected to this type of blatant sexual abuse. It was reported in Dharamsala that many western nuns were molested and accosted by Dagri Rinpoche, but FPMT and the Dalai Lama’s Private Office kept quiet about it. Now more women, victims and friends are speaking up and not keeping quiet anymore. It is extremely bad news for FPMT and this is something that will not go away in the near future but continue to grow. FPMT from now on will be seen as an organisation that harbours sex predators and does nothing about it, but covers it up and keeps it hush-hush.

People in the UK are glad to see that Dagri Rinpoche has been exposed, arrested and is under investigation. Dagri Rinpoche is scheduled to teach in various UK locations this summer.

The very fact that FPMT International Head Office has suspended Dagri Rinpoche from their list of teachers, it shows they believe the allegations made by these women who are speaking up against Dagri Rinpoche. Although FPMT said they temporarily suspended him, it has to be a permanent suspension instead. And FPMT better go to the respective countries that the offenses were made in and make official reports with the authorities there, if they want to save themselves. If FPMT continues to do nothing to placate the public they will lose even more credibility. So far FPMT have already lost a lot of credibility, I wonder if they risk losing more? Dagri Rinpoche is a sexual predator of the highest degree and more victims are going to speak out if the FPMT sits on the fence or tries to protect themselves. It will all be revealed. FPMT better take harsh measures to show they have done something and perhaps when the victims hear this, the healing process may begin.

If you read this exchange between two individuals associated with FPMT, it is clear to see the effect of FPMT downplaying Dagri Rinpoche’s abuse. Some of their members are already using cultural differences to try and excuse Dagri Rinpoche’s abuse.

But the fact remains that abuse is abuse and it does not matter if someone is from a different culture. Ignorance is not an adequate defence in the eyes of the law and when another person is hurt, regardless of HOW that hurt occurred, it is not a question of culture that you should apologise to the victim and help them to suffer less. It is a question of common human decency and that transcends barriers of race and culture.

So the fact the monks apparently do not know how to ‘deal’ with the uproar and are trying to ignore it and move on is not a question of cultural differences. It is a matter of their refusal to take responsibility for a member of their community who has gravely hurt many people.

That any FPMT member might downplay the severity of Dagri’s abusive actions by using culture as an excuse, is therefore a clear reflection of the FPMT’s leadership and the tone they have set for everyone else. The buck stops with the leaders, period and people will not remain ignorant of their deceitful behaviour forever because as this exchange also shows, not every member of the public is willing to allow FPMT to get away with deception. FPMT cannot hide forever when there are many people out there who can see very, very clearly who is in the wrong.

FPMT’s second update is proof of their covering up for Dagri Rinpoche

FPMT’s second update corroborates the claims Jakaira Perez Valdiva made in her video testimony and adds more details that further incriminate Dagri Rinpoche of sexual misconduct. Click to see the larger version.

English

Further Update Regarding Dagri Rinpoche

24 May 2019

FPMT International Office has received considerable correspondence regarding the alleged misconduct by Dagri Rinpoche and the decision to suspend Dagri Rinpoche from the FPMT Tibetan Teachers List. (See the timeline below for details.)

International Office acknowledges the very real suffering experienced by the women who have made allegations of misconduct by Dagri Rinpoche, and understand how difficult it is to speak out publically about this. We appreciate their courage in speaking out.

We also want to recognize Dagri Rinpoche’s service to the FPMT organization as a teacher for more than fifteen years. We have received no complaints about his actions over the past eight years.

International Office remains committed to helping local FPMT centers, projects, and services in creating a supportive and respectful environment for the students who study and practice there, and for the teachers who teach there. We continue to emphasize the FPMT Ethical Policy as a way to ensure these positive conditions.

The FPMT Ethical Policy is available for all to read on the FPMT website, and has been since it was first created in 2000. Allegations of misconduct are received with an open mind and a warm heart. In response to any complaint, the FPMT organization follows the guidelines described in Problem Solving within the FPMT Organization. We understand the importance of supporting and protecting teachers, and students, while any allegations are investigated.

Since 2011 (see our timeline below), International Office, relying on input from professionals and stakeholders, created and updated guidelines to support interactions between teachers, students, and staff, as a supplement to the FPMT Ethical Policy. Clauses within the Ethical Policy itself also have been updated on several occasions in order to capture and insist upon improved understanding of best practice.

In addition, the FPMT Ethical Policy and problem solving guidelines are regularly taken up and discussed at FPMT regional and national meetings, and at meetings of ordained FPMT Sangha. This is to keep the importance of abiding by the Ethical Policy in the minds of all in positions of authority within the FPMT organization.

There has been a lot of misunderstanding as to what the FPMT organization has done after becoming aware of Jakaira Perez Valdivia’s allegation. In order to clarify, and to prevent further misunderstanding, here is our timeline:

2011
• International Office was alerted by the Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama about an allegation of sexual assault made by a Western nun (Jakaira Perez Valdivia) against Dagri Rinpoche. The alleged assault did not take place at an FPMT center, and the communication from the Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama was the first we had heard about it. Therefore, FPMT International Office felt that the Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama was the appropriate body to investigate the allegation.

• The Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama informed us that they had investigated the allegation and that it was resolved. They informed us that Dagri Rinpoche understood the seriousness of the allegations and committed to avoiding situations that could give rise to similar allegations in the future.

• Based on the outcome of the Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s investigation, International Office decided that Dagri Rinpoche should remain on the list of FPMT Tibetan teachers. We talked directly with Dagri Rinpoche to ensure that he understood the seriousness of this allegation.

• We alerted FPMT regional and national coordinators, who organize teacher tours, of the allegation of misconduct and the outcome of the Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s investigation. We asked the coordinators to alert centers that had invited or were planning to invite Dagri Rinpoche of this information.

2012
• Jakaira Perez Valdivia emailed International Office, asking us to provide her with an apology from Dagri Rinpoche as she had heard that Dagri Rinpoche was defaming her in FPMT centers. We looked into the matter and were able to respond that we found no evidence that Dagri Rinpoche had spoken negatively about her and that he had considered the matter closed since the meeting with the Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

2013
• International Office was alerted of another student who had said she was inappropriately touched by Dagri Rinpoche in 2010. We contacted the student directly to learn more. The student—who wished, and continues to wish, to remain unnamed—decided to not make any public allegation nor take the matter further based on the outcome of the Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s investigation in 2011.

2018
• International Office reminded FPMT regional and national coordinators of the outcome of the Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s investigation into Dagri Rinpoche in 2011, as part of our going safeguarding process.

2019
• As of the beginning of May 2019, International Office had received no other complaints about the conduct of Dagri Rinpoche, nor heard any public allegations of misconduct by Dagri Rinpoche.

• On May 3, an American woman filed a police complaint in India, alleging that Dagri Rinpoche sexually harassed her during a flight from Delhi to Gaggal. The Indian police began an investigation. We verified this directly with the police station involved.

• In response to the May 3 allegation, International Office suspended Dagri Rinpoche from the FPMT Tibetan Teachers List.
On May 14, International Office posted the public statement “Update Regarding Dagri Rinpoche.”

• On May 14, International Office posted “Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Advice to Students of Dagri Rinpoche.” (This letter is advice specifically for students of Dagri Rinpoche, to help them.)

• On May 24, International Office created the page “Updates Regarding Dagri Rinpoche,” where updates and links on this issue will be shared.

• On May 24, International Office posted “Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Additional Advice to Students of Dagri Rinpoche.” (This is a second letter of advice specifically for students of Dagri Rinpoche.)

Next Steps
While we await the results of the Indian police investigation, we are continuing a correspondence with Jakaira Perez Valdivia. We are also seeking professional assistance, and committed to continue to improve our current policies and procedures.

Ten days after the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT) issued their first update on Dagri Rinpoche’s teaching suspension, the FPMT has released a second update on the Dagri Rinpoche sexual molestation cases. Dated May 24, the FPMT’s second update admits to the claims made by Jakaira Perez Valdivia in her statutory declaration filed in 2011 and adding on new information that a year later in 2012, Jakaira filed a complaint with FPMT’s International Office about Dagri Rinpoche defaming her in FPMT centers. All of this corroborates with everything Jakaira had said in her video testimony about Dagri Rinpoche first molesting her, then later turning the story around blaming her and accusing her of having mental afflictions.

FPMT poorly disguises their inaction to take these sexual harassment cases seriously by pushing the responsibility to the Dalai Lama’s Office. Stating that because the incident had not taken place in an FPMT centre, and because the incident was first reported to the Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama who had conducted their own investigation on the matter and that it had been resolved by the Dalai Lama’s Office was the reason given by the FPMT to conclude that Dagri Rinpoche was fit to remain on the list of FPMT Tibetan teachers. It was a convenient solution for the FPMT, not to conduct their own investigation on Dagri Rinpoche and to use the Dalai Lama’s office as the excuse for their inaction.

In their second statement, the FPMT lists a second victim who had come out in 2013, which again using the Office of the Dalai Lama’s settlement, the FPMT irresponsibly does nothing, sweeps the allegations under the carpet, and still sends Dagri Rinpoche on teaching tours to FPMT centers around the world.

Although, the FPMT claims that there were no reports of sexual misconduct by Dagri Rinpoche from 2013, the FPMT in their second update states that a warning was again issued in 2018 reminding FPMT regional and national coordinators of the outcome of the Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s investigation into Dagri Rinpoche in 2011, purportedly as part of their going safeguarding process. If after five years, there were no cases reported and investigations revealed no wrongdoing by Dagri Rinpoche, why would there even be a requirement to issue a reminder unless there was something that FPMT is concealing from the public? These are discrepancies that call for the FPMT to be fully transparent and open as it involves the safety of all who attend teachings and events conducted by Dagri Rinpoche in FPMT centers.

Despite knowing the danger Dagri Rinpoche posed on innocent women, and the fact that the FPMT had to regularly issue warnings to their centres organising events with Dagri Rinpoche, the FPMT, using the Office of the Dalai Lama’s settlement of Jakaira’s case, continued to promote Dagri Rinpoche and putting countless lives at risk of being sexually harassed and abused. As we can clearly see now, the Jakaira case was not settled, but covered up.

The FPMT’s second update is another unfortunate attempt by the FPMT to mislead the public into thinking that they are actually taking action, but it is obvious that after so many years of not taking any action on Dagri Rinpoche, it is hard for anyone to believe that anything substantial will come out from the FPMT. The only way the FPMT can hope to redeem itself is by allowing independent investigators to conduct a thorough investigation of FPMT centers and probe the cases of sexual misconduct by FPMT teachers, which are not limited to only Dagri Rinpoche. But this is now unlikely seeing how Lama Zopa the head of FPMT has separately reiterated that Dagri Rinpoche’s sexually abusive acts are in fact acts of an ‘holy and enlightened being’.

FPMT’s second update does little to restore confidence in the FPMT, seen by many including FPMT insiders to be more of the same skirting around the main issue and a lead up for more cover ups.

A letter from Lama Zopa Rinpoche which all future female students of Dagri Rinpoche should read carefully

Lama Zopa’s Advice (English)

The following is Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s advice for students of Dagri Rinpoche.Lama Zopa Rinpoche teaching at Centro La Sabiduría de Nagarjuna, Bilbao, Spain, May 6, 2019. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.

From my understanding, in my view and according to my mind, Dagri Rinpoche is a very positive, holy being—definitely not an ordinary person.

One night a very long time ago at Tushita in Dharamsala, Dagri Rinpoche told me that he had a dream that he visited the pure land of Lama Tsongkhapa (Yiga Chozin). He was saying how unbelievably, unbelievably wonderful it was, with all the beautiful enjoyments and view, wow, wow, wow!

Then in Sera Je Monastery, when I was having dinner at his house, he told me another story. After he recited Rinjung Gyatso mantras, he led the pujas of the Hayagriva group in Sera Je. During the puja he himself was a huge Hayagriva and all the monks were very little. When he was telling me this, his way of expressing it was bringing himself down, saying that maybe he was hallucinating. These are just a few stories that I have heard. But this is definitely not an ordinary being, someone scared of death and the lower realms. That is one hundred percent certain. This is according to my personal view, according to my mind.

Therefore, I want to tell the students who have received initiations and teachings from Dagri Rinpoche that you should definitely one hundred percent rejoice, no matter what the world says, no matter if some people criticize him. Even after Buddha became enlightened, he showed the aspect of having pain in his foot when a piece of wood went through it. Buddha said that the suffering was the result of sexual misconduct with a woman in one of his past lives, a long time ago. Of course, even arhats, who haven’t achieved the five Mahayana paths, the ten Bhumis or the tantric path, don’t have pain. They are free from samsara, since they are totally free from delusions and karma, the cause of samsara. How is it possible for someone to experience pain, rebirth, old age, and death if they have totally ceased the cause of suffering? It then becomes that Buddha is not true and Buddha’s teachings are not true. It becomes like that. Numberless beings have become enlightened: yogi-pandits such as Sahara, Tilopa and Naropa, and many beings from all four sects of Tibetan Buddhism, including Padmasambhava and other Nyingma lamas, Marpa and Milarepa, the five great highly attained Sakya Lamas, Lama Tsongkhapa himself, and many others in the Gelug tradition. With this reasoning everything becomes not true.

Buddha showed the aspect of a piece of wood going into his foot and said that a long time ago, in one of his past lives, he committed sexual misconduct with a woman. He did this to show the karma to the disciples, to the sentient beings who are the objects to be subdued. So, Buddha himself showed suffering, even though he didn’t have suffering.

This also includes the present Dalai Lama. You can see that His Holiness the Dalai Lama is all that is explained by Buddha, the great yogi-pandits and Lama Tsongkhapa. You can see that his holy mind possesses all the qualities of the path. His holy mind has all the supreme qualities, all the inexpressible qualities beyond the path, that have been explained in the texts by Buddha and up to the present buddhas’, enlightened ones’, experiences, as well as being unbelievably practical and cherishing others like a mother cherishes her most beloved child. No matter whether someone is rich or poor, educated or uneducated, His Holiness sees everyone in the world as equal and gives the most practical advice. Now, even this would not be true. But here you can see this with your own eyes, so then how could you say that it’s not true. The incredible qualities of His Holiness’s gurus and so many other holy beings that you have seen would also not be true. You would then have to say that there are no holy beings. So, these mistakes would arise.

You can see for yourself that if you practice Buddhism—lamrim, for example—your mind has greater and greater peace and becomes more and more holy. How can you then say that even that doesn’t happen? It’s the same as saying that everything you did, everything you experienced, is a hallucination. Of course, this is not related to the view of true existence. The hallucination, in this case, is that nothing exists in mere name: suffering, the cause of suffering, cessation of suffering, the path. Nothing then exists: there’s no hell, no enlightenment, no karma, no samsara, no nirvana.

Then, in the sutra Meeting of the Father and Son, it says, “Buddha works for sentient beings by taking the costume of Indra, Brahmin, sometimes as mara, (but people in the world do not know this). He also shows the conduct, the costume, of a woman. Also, Buddha takes animal forms. There is no attachment but he shows attachment; there is no fear but he shows fear; there is no ignorance but he shows ignorance; there is no craziness but he shows craziness; there is no lameness but he shows being lame. In various aspects, Buddha works for sentient beings and subdues the minds of sentient beings.”

Please understand this. Even enlightened buddhas work for sentient beings like this. So we, including myself, need to see things as positive. From our minds, from our side, we have to try to see the positive side.

Otherwise, it means you don’t need to meditate, you don’t need to practice Dharma, from your side. Otherwise, why do you need to meditate? Why do you need to practice Dharma? Without needing to put effort from your side, you expect everything outside to be positive. To be able to see the Guru is numberless past, present, and future buddhas, to be able to realize that, you have to put effort from your own side.

That’s why Lama Tsongkhapa said in The Foundation of All Good Qualities:

The foundation of all good qualities is the kind and perfect, pure Guru;
Correct devotion to him is the root of the path.
By clearly seeing this and applying great eﬀort,
Please bless me to rely upon him with great respect.

The verse says: “The kind, perfect guru is the basis of all good qualities and correctly following the virtuous friend is the root of the path to enlightenment. By seeing well, which means seeing the guru as numberless past, present, future buddhas, WITH MUCH EFFORT, please grant me blessings to be able to follow the guru with great devotion and respect.” So, this means from your own side, with great effort. Lama Tsongkhapa said this from his own experience.

Since we (myself, for example) don’t have that understanding, we expect that we don’t have to do anything from our side. We only expect to see the guru’s qualities, to see the guru as pure, as the essence of buddha, from outside. It doesn’t happen like this.

Even if you saw the person before as full of mistakes, after you make a Dharma connection with them, you need to practice the root of path to enlightenment: correctly following the virtuous friend. By training your mind in that, then you are able to see that is buddha, which means one who has totally ceased the gross and subtle obscurations and completed all the qualities. You then realize the root of the path to enlightenment: correctly following the virtuous friend. From there, you then actualize the graduated paths of the lower capable being, the middle capable being and then the higher capable being. Bodhichitta and then tantric realizations happen easily.

Guru Shakyamuni Buddha was enlightened eons ago, according to Mahayana, according to reality. Gelong Lekpai Garma, Buddha’s attendant, served Buddha for twenty-two years, but he always looked at Buddha as a liar. This was because one time when Buddha was on alms round, a young girl offered a handful of grain in Buddha’s begging bowl. At that time Buddha predicted that from that karma she would become enlightened as Buddha Tseme. Gelong Lekpai Garma thought that was a lie and that Buddha was just flattering her. He thought it was too much: “How is it possible for that to happen from offering one handful of grain?” So, for his whole life he saw Buddha as a liar and as an ordinary being. Buddha was a buddha, but he never saw him as a buddha. He had more faith in his Hindu guru. One time his Hindu guru was sick and Buddha advised his Hindu guru not to eat brown sugar. Gelong Lekpai Garma didn’t believe Buddha, he thought he was lying, so he offered his Hindu guru brown sugar. His Hindu guru died and was reborn as a preta; one time this preta made a sound as Buddha was walking by on a road. When Gelong Lekpai Garma died, he was reborn in the hell realms for eons. It is important to know these stories.

Thank you very much. Have no regrets. The only thing is to enjoy life, which is very short and can be ended at any time.

But if you read it very carefully, after a few lines, Lama Zopa is already distracting you away from the real issue, which is the fact that Dagri Rinpoche has been exposed for molesting and abusing women for a long time.

Lama Zopa wants us to view Dagri Rinpoche as an extraordinary being and close our mind to what really happened. However, if we viewed all sexual predators as extraordinary beings and keep up that faith, then we don’t need the law at all. Everyone who commits a crime is henceforth to be regarded as being ‘extraordinary’ and we are just simply to hold them with a good view. Then people like Dagri Rinpoche can continue to commit more crimes without any limits or restrictions.

But the truth of the matter is, whether Dagri Rinpoche is an extraordinary being or an ordinary being, is not the issue. The issue is that he inflicted criminal acts upon ordinary beings who only have ordinary views and, as a result, suffer very much like all ordinary people do when they are harmed. How can you tell ordinary people to have extraordinary views about a sex crime that has hurt them and shames their family?

So Lama Zopa should address the actual problem and “call a spade a spade”. And he must address the issue at hand directly, that is, Dagri Rinpoche is dangerous and he has harmed many people. Lama Zopa should advise his students and all victims to speak up and report what has been done to them. Lama Zopa should create a compassionate environment for the victims to speak up and receive support at a difficult time. Victims should not be told to view Dagri Rinpoche’s actions as extraordinary and just forget the whole thing because this will allow Dagri Rinpoche to continue doing what he has been doing and harm more women. I shudder at the thought of Dagri Rinpoche having complete immunity for all the things he could do to female students and nuns.

Shall we now apply the logic in Lama Zopa’s speech to all future victims of Dagri Rinpoche’s exploits that he will commit eventually and say, “Hey, when he molests you, you just think about it this way, okay?” “You just view him as an extraordinary being and allow him to abuse you because he had two dreams about himself going to Gaden Heaven and being some deity.” “Because of these dreams, he is an extraordinary being and whatever sexual molestation that he inflicts on you should be taken happily.” Shall we say this to all future victims of Dagri Rinpoche to pre-empt them?

If so why not send this letter to all future victims of Dagri Rinpoche, because there are going to be a lot more of them?

Why not send this letter to every female Buddhist aspirant who will become Dagri Rinpoche’s student though FPMT, and tell them that when they get molested next time, to just think about his sexual assaults in this way and not get angry. Don’t report him. Just keep offering yourself up to Dagri Rinpoche because whatever he’s doing to your body is beneficial to you! Shall we say this to all future female students of Dagri Rinpoche? No we should not. Lama Zopa’s advice to students is not appropriate towards the victims and their families. The onus of responsibility should be on lamas to behave properly, not to harm their students physically and spiritually. It should not be on new and aspiring Buddhists to accept being abused and then told to maintain a pure view of their abuser.

Lama Zopa’s so-called “advice” to Dagri Rinpoche’s victims does not fool anyone, least of all those who are affected in one way or another by Dagri Rinpoche’s sex attacks. In fact if Lama Zopa and FPMT didn’t believe the allegations against Dagri Rinpoche, a letter of ‘pure view’ would not even be published. It’s simple. Lama Zopa knows that many of the people who studied with Dagri Rinpoche will be angry, lose faith and want to take legal action perhaps. To pre-empt this, he is advising these students to have a ‘pure view’ of Dagri Rinpoche. But the difficult part is pure view is only for advanced practitioners who are able to generate pure view. For ordinary practitioners who do not have merits or the karma or the knowledge to do so, pure view is impossible. Basically it is Lama Zopa and FPMT hoping by issuing this ‘advice’ to students to have pure view, they hope the storm will die down and Dagri Rinpoche’s students via FPMT will not take further action. Clever but easy to see through. An atmosphere of love, care and understanding must be extended to the victims now and perhaps in the future, they can have pure view. Dagri Rinpoche must not be allowed to teach via FPMT again or anywhere for that matter as he perhaps needs counselling for his what it seems like ‘sex addiction’ where he cannot control himself around women. FPMT must take responsibility and issue apologies and do remedial actions and stop using lofty dharma words to cover up this crime. Dagri Rinpoche must be brought to justice. No more victims should be allowed.Matthew Remski’s powerful post highlights Lama Zopa’s duplicity and further identifies FPMT as an unsafe place that does not enforce ethical standards on Dagri Rinpoche. Lama Zopa’s statement has brought on an overwhelming onslaught of negative responses.Lama Zopa’s “advice” has brought on an onslaught of negative commentsLama Zopa’s “advice” has brought on an onslaught of negative commentsLama Zopa’s “advice” has brought on an onslaught of negative commentsLama Zopa’s “advice” has brought on an onslaught of negative commentsLama Zopa’s “advice” has brought on an onslaught of negative commentsLama Zopa’s “advice” has brought on an onslaught of negative commentsLama Zopa’s “advice” has brought on an onslaught of negative commentsLama Zopa’s “advice” has brought on an onslaught of negative commentsLama Zopa’s “advice” has brought on an onslaught of negative commentsLama Zopa’s “advice” has brought on an onslaught of negative commentsLama Zopa’s “advice” has brought on an onslaught of negative comments

Lama Zopa continues to defend Dagri Rinpoche, says he is a holy being

Accompanying the FPMT’s second update on Dagri Rinpoche, Lama Zopa continues to add insult to injury on victims of Dagri Rinpoche’s sexual molestation by issuing a second statement saying how no matter what people in the world say to criticize Dagri Rinpoche, Lama Zopa keeps in his mind the understanding that Dagri Rinpoche is a holy being.

“No matter what people in the world say to criticize Dagri Rinpoche, I keep my mind in the understanding that this is a holy being. I don’t become like a cow with a rope tied through its nose that is led around by people and has to go wherever the people pull it. Even though I am extremely ignorant of the world and I have no understanding of Dharma, I have this slight wisdom and I stay with that. This is a holy being, not an ordinary being, as I mentioned before.” — Lama Zopa

Lama Zopa’s Additional Advice (English)

The following is Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s additional advice for students of Dagri Rinpoche.

Many people who have studied Dharma know this, but other people may not know this: In the Lesser Vehicle teachings the ten non-virtues cannot become virtue by depending on the motivation. If the action happened, then it is just non-virtue. But it’s different in Mahayana Buddhism if the three non-virtuous actions of the body and the four non-virtuous actions of the speech are done with unbelievably strong compassion. For example, if you prefer to be born in hell yourself instead of another sentient being being born in hell, you will not be born in hell. You are able to choose like that. For bodhisattvas, to achieve the blissful state of peace, or nirvana, for oneself is extremely dirty. In the texts it says that it is like spit or snot thrown away on a road. I use the example of used toilet paper with kaka on it—you immediately throw it away. It is like that for a bodhisattva’s holy mind. But to be born in hell for sentient being, to be able to save sentient beings, is like a swan entering a pond. The swan is so happy to enter the pond. It is the most happy, most exciting thing; it is what they really want. So, it is like that for a bodhisattva’s holy mind. That is the example given in the texts.

There is the story of the bodhisattva captain. A long time ago, way back when Shakyamuni Buddha was a bodhisattva, he was the captain of a ship. One man on the ship, who was short and carrying a spear, wanted to kill the 500 other people on the boat. Knowing this, the bodhisattva captain felt unbelievable compassion because the man would then be reborn in the lower realms and suffer for eons. The bodhisattva captain really wanted to be born in hell himself and not the man. So, with that mind of unbelievable compassion, wanting to protect the man from negative karma and from many eons of suffering in the hells, he then killed the man. The effect of doing that, because it was done with such unbelievable compassion, was to cause the bodhisattva captain to be 100,000 eons closer to enlightenment and to being free from samsara. It became an unbelievable purification. This was because the motivation of unbearable compassion made the action not only become Dharma but the cause of enlightenment.

Then the Vajrayogini commentary tells how Nagpo Chopa, the guru, was going to practice tantric conduct (the last practice just before enlightenment) in a place called Oddiyana, near Buxa, in India, where I lived for eight years. Waiting near a big river was a woman who had leprosy, with pus and blood coming out of her. She was totally, unbelievably dirty. The leper woman asked Nagpo Chopa to please carry her on his back across the river, but he didn’t answer her and just went straight across the river. After some time his disciple, Getsul Tsembulwa, who was not a full bhikshu, came by, and she asked him to carry her across to the other side of the river. When he saw her, unbelievable compassion immediately arose within him. Without any thought of the contagious disease or of being a monk, but with only unbelievable compassion, he immediately carried her on his back across the river. When he reached the middle of the river, his heavy negative karma that prevented him from seeing her as the enlightened being Dorje Phagmo and made him only see her as a terrible, dirty, and sick was purified. That ordinary appearance finished because his negative karma was purified. The mind that projected that ordinary appearance was gone, purified. So, that woman was Dorje Phagmo, who then took Getsul Tsembulwa to the pure land of Dagpa Kachoe (the Vajrayogini pure land), in his same body, without his needing to die first. Since one definitely becomes enlightened there in Dagpa Kachoe, he probably became enlightened earlier than his guru, Nagpo Chopa. This was because he generated unbelievable compassion.

Another example is from Asanga’s life story—many people know this story. Asanga spent twelve years in retreat trying to achieve Maitreya Buddha. He left after every three years of retreat, and different conditions happened that inspired him each time to go back into retreat. One time he saw a bird flying in and out of a cave to its nest. The bird’s wings were so soft, but where they touched the rock was being worn down. That inspired Asanga so much that he thought he would go back into retreat to try to achieve Maitreya Buddha. When he came down after another three years, he saw a thread being used to cut hard rock. Over time they were able to cut the rock with just a tiny thread. Again that inspired him to go back into retreat. Three years later when he came down, he saw water dripping onto a rock—one, two, three drops—and the rock was being worn down, with a hole starting to form. This again inspired him and he went back into retreat.

Still nothing happened, and after three years he again left the retreat. As he was walking down the road, he saw a wounded dog, the lower part of whose body was totally full of maggots. Asanga cut a piece of flesh off his thigh to put the maggots on, so they had something to eat. Since he didn’t want to harm the maggots by picking them up with his fingers, he closed his eyes and stretched out his tongue, intending to pick them up with his tongue. But he could not touch them. When he opened his eyes, there was no longer a wounded dog but Maitreya Buddha.

Asanga then complained, saying, “Why didn’t I see you during the retreat?” Maitreya Buddha said, “I was there with you. Look at your spit on my robes.” To prove it, he showed the marks on his robes where Asanga had spat. Asanga then requested teachings, and Maitreya Buddha took him to Tushita pure land, Yiga Chozin, and gave him the five divisions of teachings (Jangchub Denma). One morning in Tushita pure land is equal to fifty human years. Asanga then came back and wrote the five commentaries. From that, so many people have done listening, reflecting, and meditation, achieved the path and become enlightened. (Of course, later in Tibet, Lama Atisha wrote The Lamp of the Path to Enlightenment, which again so many people in the world have studied and thus subdued their mind and achieved enlightenment. This came from Nalanda in India.)

In the great monasteries in Tibet, people studied and took these teachings for many years. Then nowadays many nuns in nunneries, including the Kopan nunnery, have also been studying these teachings. They are all unbelievably fortunate to learn Buddhadharma in such an extensive way. They are very fortunate to learn how to generate the path and how to achieve enlightenment.

These are just a few examples of the results of Asanga’s great compassion. All these benefits received by so many sentient beings, which we have also been receiving, came from Asanga’s great compassion.

We have to have expansive knowledge and understanding. For example, according to the Mahayana, while Guru Shakyamuni Buddha was showing enlightenment in this world, in another world he was showing descending from Tushita; then at the same time, in another world he was showing conception; then in other worlds he was showing teaching the Dharma or subduing the maras. All these different things were happening at the same time. But according to Theravadin Buddhism, when Buddha showed enlightenment in Bodhgaya, it was the first time he was enlightened.

Even though there is need for laws in a country and vinaya rules in a monastery, it is your own practice to subdue your mind. Buddha said: “Do not commit any unwholesome action; engage in wholesome actions; and subdue your own mind.” If subduing your own mind is missing, then you are not practicing real Buddhism. Externally it looks like you are practicing Buddhism, but inwardly you are not practicing Buddhism.

There are similar cases in the monasteries, where there is the study of the major philosophical texts: you study Dharma outwardly, but are not studying Dharma inwardly. Therefore, you don’t find happiness from Buddhism. You have the same problems in your mind that you had even before you met Buddhism—maybe even worse problems. You then spend your life creating negative karma by criticizing others all the time. I wonder why Buddha said, “Subdue your own mind”?

In the practices of Sangha there is a practice called ge jong je sho she. It means that if somebody is angry with you, you don’t get angry back; if somebody shouts at and scolds you, you don’t do that back; if somebody beats you, you don’t beat them back; if somebody provokes you, you don’t provoke them back. Otherwise, it is like there is no purpose in Buddha teaching us to subdue our own mind.

My greatest interest is: Are there sentient beings who have been pure from beginningless rebirths, with no disturbing-thought obscurations and no subtle obscurations? Are there any sentient beings like this other than my gurus? Are there any sentient beings whose minds have been totally pure, with no mistakes, no disturbing-thought obscurations and no subtle obscurations, from beginningless rebirth? That is what I am wondering.

No matter what people in the world say to criticize Dagri Rinpoche, I keep my mind in the understanding that this is a holy being. I don’t become like a cow with a rope tied through its nose that is led around by people and has to go wherever the people pull it. Even though I am extremely ignorant of the world and I have no understanding of Dharma, I have this slight wisdom and I stay with that. This is a holy being, not an ordinary being, as I mentioned before.

Somebody who practices patience and has unbelievable compassion in return to anger or harm receives unbelievable benefits from that, up to enlightenment. Those who don’t practice holy Dharma get angry. You can see that it totally depends on the person’s mind, on what label the person puts on that: harm or benefit, negative or positive. You can use it whichever way you like, for delusion or not. Those actions make some people so happy; even for attachment it makes them so happy. Some people who are not interested at that time, who don’t like it, get angry back. Even in regard to delusions, it is like that. It depends on whether you like or dislike something. If you like it, then you are so happy; if you dislike it, then you get so angry. Even with delusion it depends on which label you put, like or dislike. So, it comes from the person’s mind. So much depends on the mind of the person, of the perceiver, who judges something as good or bad. It is the same with kaka. For human beings it is something to throw out, but for dogs and even pretas, kaka is what they need, what they enjoy. It is the same with durian. Some people like durian so much, but others hate it. So, it’s up to a person’s karma, and even the same person might like or dislike something at different times.

In regard to investigating, in my understanding, is the investigation of today? Of this year or last year? From his childhood? From when he was conceived in his mother’s womb? Should the investigation be of his past life? In his past life Dagri Rinpoche was Pari Dorje Chang, a very famous lama in Lhasa, and Lama Yeshe’s guru. He gave the oral transmission of the Kangyur in the large monasteries in Tibet. Or should the investigation be of the life before that? Should the investigation be from beginningless rebirths? Then we will be investigating endless samsara. We will have to achieve enlightenment in order to investigate the beginningless rebirths of Dagri Rinpoche. We have to be enlightened; otherwise, we can’t investigate. This is my logic.

Here, it seems that only Rinpoche is wrong and all of us are totally pure, have never engaged in non-virtue. It becomes like that. In Rinpoche’s case, this is all I have to say. I have nothing else to say.

This case doesn’t apply only to Dagri Rinpoche. People bring up everyone in the world as having mistakes. People even criticize His Holiness the Dalai Lama, because His Holiness gives advice on the shortcomings of following dolgyal, which some people believe is a Dharma protector. This advice comes from His Holiness’s own experience, over a long time, over years and years. Others hide the mistakes and don’t reveal them publically because people will criticize them. But His Holiness has unbelievable compassion, so instead of hiding the truth he revealed it. His Holiness showed what is true and what is false, what is harmful and what is helpful.

Not only His Holiness the Dalai Lama but many high lamas in Tibet stopped the practice of dolgyal, such as:

1. 54th Ganden Tripa Trichen Ngawang Chogden – Regent of Lama Tsongkhapa, he advised to not have it in the constitution of the monastery, to not practice it.

And there are many others, great lamas who brought extensive benefit to sentient beings and the teachings of Buddha, like the sun and moon in the world. All these great lamas advised to not do the practice, even putting it in the constitution of the monasteries. It’s not just the view of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, who protects us sentient beings and guides us with so much compassion.

It’s very important to study the advice of those lamas, which was given a long time ago in Tibet. In general, people don’t have much idea. They think it’s only His Holiness. Then, depending on what they like and don’t like, they then criticize His Holiness. But they don’t follow the analysis of whether it is a harmful thing or a helpful thing. They don’t check that.

Then, in the twenty-first century, those, such as myself, with very, very obscured ordinary minds, who are very ignorant and without the wisdom to analyze things, should then say that great enlightened Heruka Kyabje Pabongka; Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche, my root guru; Kyabje Zong Rinpoche; Geshe Rabten and Lama Yeshe didn’t practice dolgyal, but showed the aspect of practicing dolgyal. In the section on perfectly following the guru, there is the word “tsul,” which means showed the aspect. They showed the aspect; they acted that way, but it was not real. So, for me and the twenty-first century sentient beings, whose minds are so obscured and so ignorant, with no wisdom to check whether it is helpful or harmful, they appeared to practice, but actually they did not practice. It was an act.

When Bodhisattva Meaningful to Behold asked Buddha, “Now we are guided by you, but in the future who will guide us?” Buddha replied, “Hi, I will reveal birth, old age, sickness, and death in order to ripen the minds of sentient beings.”

In brief, I mention this quotation of what Buddha said. Even arhats, who are free from delusion and karma and samsara, do not have birth, old age, sickness, and death, so how is it possible for Buddha to have them?

I am talking about this on the basis of not even having met Pabongka Dechen Nyingpo, but I have read a lot of his teachings, so on the basis of that, from my side, they are all Buddha.

So, it depends on what you like and don’t like. In this instance, people criticize His Holiness the Dalai Lama. If it is opposite to what you like, then you criticize. People do that. Even Buddha was criticized by the Hindu followers.

Then it becomes that nobody is enlightened. It comes to that point. Then the whole of the teachings are not true. Even nowadays, even recently, in the past years, so many beings achieved seeing the guru as buddha, renunciation, bodhichitta, right view, and tantric realizations of the generation and completion stages. It is happening even now. Even we ourselves find that when we read lamrim our problems go away; our mind becomes peaceful. You can see the logic of what Buddha said: “Mighty Ones, Bhikshus, learned ones, check my teachings like one examines gold by burning, cutting, and rubbing. One then sees refined gold. Take the teachings in the same way, not by blind faith.”

So, that is not only for beginners, for Westerners in particular, but includes even learned lamas and geshes with many disciples. In Tibet, many valid high lamas, such as Kyabje Ling Rinpoche and many others, even though they were followers of and extremely devoted to Pabongka Rinpoche, did not practice dolgyal.

I deeply apologize if my previous advice caused any unhappiness. Whichever way you speak, it causes unhappiness to different people. Of course, in the world, even if somebody does a really positive thing, there are people who take that as very negative; then somebody does a very negative thing and some people take it as very positive. So, it is like that. I want to say that I am deeply sorry about all the people who got hurt from Rinpoche’s holy actions.

So, this is additional clarification of my previous advice to students of Dagri Rinpoche.

Thank you very much for your understanding, and thank you very much for spending your precious human life and precious time reading my blah, blah, blah.

Despite the onslaught of negative comments from Lama Zopa’s first statement, the head of the FPMT holds his position stubbornly and calls on students of Dagri Rinpoche to ignore the facts that point to the truth that their teacher is a serial sexual molester.

Using various examples, Lama Zopa attempts to reconcile Dagri Rinpoche’s harmful actions with those of enlightened beings in Buddhist scripture. Instead of taking ownership for the damage Dagri Rinpoche had brought to his victims as any responsible head of a reputable organisation would, Lama Zopa as the head of the FPMT rebukes those who have the moral justice to speak out against Dagri Rinpoche’s wrongdoing.

Lama Zopa’s Additional Advice to Students of Dagri Rinpoche is a fitting follow up to the FPMT’s second update, that they both attempt to downplay the seriousness of sexual misconduct by Dagri Rinpoche, they both continue to further cover up for Dagri Rinpoche and they both try to divert the issue by pushing the blame onto others — for the FPMT, they continued to keep Dagri Rinpoche as a teacher because the Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama had resolved the sexual molestation case first reported in 2011; and for Lama Zopa, Dagri Rinpoche is innocent of any wrongdoing solely on the fact that Dagri Rinpoche is in his view a holy being because in Buddhist scripture, holy beings are incapable of performing any harmful actions.

Anyone reading Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Additional Advice to Students of Dagri Rinpoche would see that it is not in touch with the reality of the world today and that by supposing that Dagri Rinpoche is divine and therefore cannot be deemed wrong is simply implausible in the present time.

It would have been better for Lama Zopa to have kept quiet because to insist that Dagri Rinpoche is a holy being is to strongly suggest that the victims are mistaken about the damage they have suffered at Dagri Rinpoche’s hand.

Lama Zopa’s second statement shows him to be either senile and completely out of touch with reality, or in wilful denial and refusing to correct serious misjudgement made by his organization.

Lama Zopa’s use of Buddhist philosophy to excuse Dagri Rinpoche is not met well by the public who are not easily fooled.Lama Zopa’s additional advice does little to show respect for the rights of women and ensure women’s safety within the FPMT.Lama Zopa’s additional advice does little to show respect for the rights of women and ensure women’s safety within the FPMT.Lama Zopa’s use of Buddhist philosophy to defend Dagri Rinpoche is debated with philosophy on the ethical and moral behaviour of Buddhist teachers, especially those who are monks.Lama Zopa’s use of Buddhist philosophy to defend Dagri Rinpoche is debated with philosophy on the ethical and moral behaviour of Buddhist teachers, especially those who are monks.Lama Zopa’s use of Buddhist philosophy to defend Dagri Rinpoche is easily refuted as seen on this comment by an FPMT insider.

According to FPMT inside sources, the FPMT board at their recent Board meeting had resolved in favour of having a 3rd Party Investigations into sex harassment allegations against Dagri Rinpoche. However, in defiance of the board resolution, FPMT’s CEO Ven. Roger Kunsang went to FPMT founder and spiritual head Lama Zopa Rinpoche for a MO divination.

The result of the MO divination on the 3rd Party Investigation came out as “VERY BAD” for the FPMT and therefore, the Board resolution was overturned by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

By saying that the 3rd Party Investigation would have a very bad outcome for the FPMT, Lama Zopa’s MO divination can also be read that Dagri Rinpoche IS guilty of sexual harassment which the investigation would reveal.

To protect their reputation, the FPMT CEO’s decision to stave off a 3rd Party Investigation is not only putting their female members and public at risk of continued sexual harassment but will also allow sexual harassment offenders like Dagri Rinpoche and other teachers in the FPMT who have not come to light to continue their unethical and illegal acts.

As a long standing organisation with branches and affiliations around the world, the FPMT has a moral obligation to protect their members and the public and thus, the FPMT should not be covering up cases of sexual harassment and harbouring sexual predators.

FPMT insiders are saying that Lama Zopa’s MO divination results is an admission of guilt that Dagri Rinpoche is guilty of sexual harassment and the FPMT is also guilty for covering up sexual harassment in FPMT centers

English

The prominent Tibetan Buddhist monk has been suspended from teaching over abuse allegations, and now senior nuns are calling for an independent probe into his behavior.

ollowing media reports this month about allegations of sexual misconduct against the prominent Tibetan Buddhist teacher Dagri Rinpoche, the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT) suspended him from their list of teachers, the international Buddhist group said in a statement on their website on Tuesday. The following day, ten senior Buddhist nuns—including Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo, the founder of Dongyu Gatsal Ling Nunnery, and Thubten Chodron, the abbess of Sravasti Abbey in Washington—sent a letter to FPMT calling for a third-party investigation into the accusations.

Dagri Rinpoche—a tulku [reincarnated master] in the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism and a touring teacher who regular visits centers in the United States, such as Sravasti Abbey, where he had been listed as a spiritual advisor—was suspended after being accused in a formal complaint of molesting a woman onboard an Air India flight on May 3. Following media reports of the charge against him, a former nun, Jakaira Perez Valdivia, posted a video on YouTube entitled “Dagri Rinpoche is indeed a serial molester,” in which she claims that Dagri Rinpoche molested her ten years ago while she was living in Dharamsala, India. Soon after, another woman, Shin Young Sun, stepped forward, writing in a Facebook post on May 13 that Dagri Rinpoche groped her breast while she was a student at Sarah College in Dharamsala between 2005 and 2009.

Dagri Rinpoche has denied any wrongdoing.

In their letter to FPMT, the senior nuns said there are even more women who have remained anonymous, “Some of us personally know other Western nuns who have reported that they were molested by Dagri Rinpoche,” they wrote. The letter continues:

We urge the FPMT to commission an independent, third-party investigation into these allegations, and to make the conclusions of this investigation public. This investigation should be conducted in such a way that plaintiffs and/or witnesses feel safe to come forward and tell their stories confidentially—and anonymously, if they so wish . . . Holding an independent investigation sends a clear message that this behavior will not be tolerated and there will be repercussions for perpetrators. This is crucial in order to ensure an environment in which students’ trust can be rebuilt.

Along with the letter, a group of practitioners and nuns have also started an online petition to urge FPMT to “find the truth.”

In a statement released on May 13, Dagri Rinpoche reasserted his innocence. In the case of the Air India flight, he said he was only steadying himself on the armrest of his accuser, who was sleeping at the time. When she woke up, she “appeared angry” and said something to him in a language he did not understand, he wrote. He was later told that she had filed a complaint to the police.

In his interaction with Perez Valdivia—whom Dagri Rinpoche characterizes as “a nun who experienced some physical and mental problems”—he wrote that he only “performed Jabtru, a water purification ritual, and Kakgo, a ritual to remove obstacles” to help with her with those issues. He adds, “After about three years, she used these rituals as a reason to accuse me of inappropriately touching her.”

Related: Will Sanghas Learn from the Scandals in the Buddhist World?

Perez Valdivia responded in a statement sent to Tricycle on May 16, saying, “instead of apologising he’s blaming and discrediting the victims, the oldest method proved effective to get away with abuse.”

She added that he has spent his “entire life getting away with molesting students and devotees around the world due to the silence and complicity of some institutions and of the Tibetan system itself.”

In her social-media post, Shin Young Sun also described a culture of ignoring or silencing women whom teachers have allegedly abused, saying that those in positions of power have turned a blind eye, including the office of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. She explained that although she has personally forgiven Dagri Rinpoche, she chose to speak out in solidarity with Perez Valdivia. “I write this post for other victims. Because they . . . still experience the hardships,” she said.

Related: Sex in the Sangha . . . Again

FPMT head Lama Zopa Rinpoche, meanwhile, has received criticism for an open letter he sent to Dagri Rinpoche’s students. He wrote:

Dagri Rinpoche is a very positive, holy being—definitely not an ordinary person . . . Therefore, I want to tell the students who have received initiations and teachings from Dagri Rinpoche that you should definitely one hundred percent rejoice, no matter what the world says, no matter if some people criticize him. Even after Buddha became enlightened, he showed the aspect of having pain in his foot when a piece of wood went through it. Buddha said that the suffering was the result of sexual misconduct with a woman in one of his past lives, a long time ago.

In her statement, Perez Valdivia called the advice “embarrassing and outrageous” and said it “excuses the abuser from any ‘appearance’ of misconduct that he may manifest.”

Correction (5/17): An earlier version of this article stated that FPMT suspended Dagri Rinpoche “after becoming aware” of allegations against him. However, as the group said in a statement, they had prior knowledge of at least one allegation against him. We regret the error, and the article has been updated to correct it.

Tricycle, a prominent Buddhist magazine has published a full-length story on Dagri Rinpoche’s sexual abuse titled ‘Nuns Push for Investigation into Molestation Allegations against Teacher Dagri Rinpoche’. This is the first time that a major Buddhist publication has directed criticism at Lama Zopa Rinpoche and FPMT, and for good reason too as more and more Buddhists around the world are becoming convinced of Lama Zopa and FPMT’s culpability in the Dagri Rinpoche sex scandal.

The voices of these nuns are extremely powerful as they have been active on the Buddhist scene for a very long time. They have published many popular dharma books between them, they travel internationally giving teachings all around the world, and most significantly their reputation is unblemished. The notable names include Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo who is the founder of Dongyu Gatsal Ling Nunnery in India and the second Western woman to be ordained in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. All are highly respected women and spiritual practitioners of international renown.

The nuns have launched an online petition calling for FPMT to conduct a third party impartial investigation into Dagri Rinpoche’s sexual offences. The very fact that they are calling for an investigation shows that they know for sure there are other sexual offences that FPMT has covered up. If the nuns didn’t know about the cover ups, why would they put their names to a petition that specifically states:

“Victims need to feel safe to come forward and tell their stories without harassment or blame, and to receive the help they need to heal.”

Definitely these nuns personally know of other women who have been molested by Dagri Rinpoche, and they will definitely encourage other victims to speak up. Even if the victims speak up anonymously, their testimony will still be powerful as these reputable nuns are vouching for them.

By right, an independent investigation is what FPMT should have done from the very start if they were sincere about ensuring that justice was served. But clearly that was not the case and FPMT were only concerned about saving their own skins and coercing victims into silence. Lama Zopa and FPMT have missed out on the opportunity to de-escalate the entire situation. What’s more, Lama Zopa has been on the receiving end of many negative comments as he has shown zero sympathy for Dagri Rinpoche’s victims and his advice to them is completely out of touch.

For sure, this ongoing molestation scandal will bring both Lama Zopa and FPMT down many notches simply because they are guilty of covering it up. Worse, they not only covered it up but kept the abuse under wraps and also kept on promoting Dagri Rinpoche! This is just the tip of the iceberg because even more rumours are surfacing concerning other teachers in FPMT who are molesting women. In a nutshell, it is FPMT’s irresponsibility that has emboldened sex predators like Dagri Rinpoche to continue abusing female students, nuns and all the unsuspecting victims who step into FPMT premises worldwide.

Given how things are going, clearly Lama Zopa and FPMT have botched their handling of the Dagri Rinpoche sex scandal and it looks like the proceedings so far may just be a prelude to something more sinister that the FPMT is concealing.

Senior Buddhist Nuns letter to FPMT calling for a third-party investigation into the accusations. Page 1. Click to see larger version

Senior Buddhist Nuns letter to FPMT calling for a third-party investigation into the accusations. Page 2. Click to see larger version

According to the newest update posted on Change.org’s petition Call for investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct by Dagri Rinpoche, a second letter has been sent to FMPT’s CEO Ven. Roger Kunsang and the FPMT board urging the FPMT to launch an impartial investigation after allegations of rampant sexual abuse in FPMT centres have come to public knowledge.

Signed by the distinguished Tibetan Buddhist nuns who started the petition, they wrote that they “have heard of other women with stories to report, so it is clear that there is a need for third-party professional persons who are experienced in such procedures, and with whom these women can share their experiences anonymously.”

The letter to the FPMT’s CEO and board was concluded with the following saying: “The Buddhist sangha is entrusted by the Buddha to safeguard the Dharma, and we would be remiss in our duty if we did not continue to call on the FPMT board to take immediate steps to protect the Dharma, restore people’s trust in Tibetan Buddhism, and behave with the compassion and ethical integrity that the world expects of the Buddhadharma. Nothing short of an independent investigation will be sufficient to do that at this point.”

The FPMT which has come under fire for covering up cases of sexual abuse in their centres for decades, has not yet made any firm steps to look into the accusations that will make their centres safe for women.

The petition by distinguished nuns on Change.org calling the FPMT to conduct an independent investigation of sexual misconduct by senior FPMT teacher Dagri Rinpoche has garnered nearly 3,000 signatures

Ms Jakaira’s latest letter blows Lama Zopa and FPMT out of the water!

The Tricycle article also included a new letter from Ms Jakaira about the now exposed and disgraced Dagri Rinpoche. Her powerful letter was in response to ongoing attempts by FPMT and Lama Zopa to downplay the severity of Dagri Rinpoche’s sexual offences and to discount the damage that he has inflicted on many innocent victims.

Click to see larger version

English

I write this in response to Dagri R public statement, his monastery’s letter, to the update posted on the FPMT site, and Lama Zopa’s advice.Honestly I have been repeating myself for years, trying to take this to all sort of different instances and being blamed and shamed again and again, starting from Dagri’s own lies against me in order to protect his reputation, which he’s doing all over again without the slightest regret or embarrassment. His attitude is the result of an entire life getting away with molesting students and devotees around the world due to the silence and complicity of some institutions and of the Tibetan system itself.

The part of Dagri’s statement when he talks about me, starts by discrediting me, saying that I experienced “physical and mental problems”. I had a physical problem and, as far as I’m concerned, we all experience some degree of mental distress until we achieve the higher grounds.. but we cannot deny that what he is trying to say is that I am crazy. He told that to several others years ago. Today he is doing the same, instead of apologising he’s blaming and discrediting the victims, the oldest method proved effective to get away with abuse. If I was crazy or mentally unstable at that time, HHDL probably wouldn’t have sent me as the official Spanish translator of the Kalachakra initiation and teachings in Washington 2011 and the following Kalachakra in Bodhgaya, as well as many other teachings I translated for years into different languages. I have extensive intellectual and academic experience, enough to prove my intelligence, but getting into details about this would be insulting as I am obviously not crazy. Furthermore, even if a person was crazy, he or she would still have the right to be heard and protected.

Then the abuser says I spoke up after three years from the incident. That is a lie, look at the date in my statutory declaration (attached), it says 2008. Look at the police stamp at the end of the declaration, it says 11/11/2010. It took me one and a half years to start recovering from the shock and talking about it. Everybody knows that when these situations happen, it can take many many years if not an entire life for the victim to even be able to start talking about it, so the time here should not be of any importance or diminish the seriousness of the matter. After talking with some friends and sisters, I was finally advised in October 2010 by Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo to proceed the way I did. Finally I went to Kangra police to do the statement one month later.

Then he says the there was a meeting with the two of us and six witnesses, that is a lie too. At the meeting there were him and his attendant, me and my friend Karma Yeshe, Chime-la from HHDLs office, and a Tibetan person taking notes. These are not 6 witnesses as you can see.

I also have no idea of what he means by ‘clarifying the truth’, as the meeting was for him to apologise to me, which he did, and not the other way around as he tried to make others believe and still is. Please see the statement from my witness Karma Yeshe.

Regarding the update about Dagri R on the FPMT website, I am happily surprised to hear that some sort of measures of this kind were finally taken this time. But I also have to disagree with some of the points, which maybe due to lack of information were made. For example where it says ‘The Private Office informed us that they had investigated the allegations, and that they had resolved the matter’ I’m really curious to know what the FPMT and HHDLs office mean by ‘investigated’ and by ‘solved’. How do you ‘solve’ molestation or abuse? The very minimum from the abuser’s side would be to acknowledge the wrongdoing, apologising, have the determination not to do it again… and from the institution side, at least retrieve the support to the abuser and stop promoting him around the world. When the Office told the FPMT that the matter had been solved, did they say I dropped the allegations? I have never dropped the allegations as I will never take back my statutory declaration, did the FPMT even read it? How could I possibly take all that back? I didn’t and I won’t cause it’s the truth. So just to be clear, the charges were never dropped cause I didn’t press charges, because he apologised and promise not to repeat his behaviour again. The allegations were never dropped cause what happened is what happened and it cannot be modified, my written police statement is not an opinion but a description of facts. Was it correct to keep promoting Dagri, even if the office said that the ‘matter was solved’, when a statement like this was issued and never retracted? Did the FPMT ever thought of asking me or the other victims how we felt about this?

In the update on FPMTs website it mentions only the Indian woman and me, even though there were other incidents before and after me, the newest victim to speak up is this Korean woman Shin Young Sun who used to be a student in Sarah College: https://m.facebook.com/yeongseons/posts/10157134479759598 . But there have been several other allegations before. Even tulkus XXX and XXX have had they say about Dagri’s misbehaviour since the 80’s and they weren’t heard or were criticised, until the issue was forgotten. There is one anonymous testimony from another nun victim which was sent to FPMT executive dated 2010, and correspondence where he acknowledges an incident which he had kept confidential. There was also a complaint about Dagri R from my friend, Australian lawyer XXX related to my case in 2013 which means there were other complaints after 2011. Due to all these different testimonies that were sent to this organisation, I feel quite sad that this issue is still being treated as if the only unfortunate incidents happened to the Indian lady on the plane and to me, and that while we are being doubted Dagri’s innocence is still implied as a clear possibility! That is not the case and FPMT knew about this. The fact that some victims wished to remain anonymous doesn’t mean that the molestation didn’t happen or that it can be kept secret, but that is exactly what happened, manipulation, secrecy and fear.

*Please notice that being silent about abuse and continue to hire a molester with multiple allegations, makes the institutions who have promoted him liable for the damage caused to the victims*

After all this, none of us have even received a single apology or acknowledgement of wrongdoing from Dagri R, all the opposite, and no institution has taken any responsibility for this, or validated me as a victim or as someone who has spoken the truth. All that me and other nuns and friends who supported us have received is blame, shame, threats and slander (now some are even trying to make others believe that victims and witnesses are nothing but a conspiracy from the DorjeShugden group! ridiculous!), to the point that many still now are scared and become frozen when it comes to speak up. I cannot even begin to tell how all this has forever affected my life and my relation with the Dharma, and there’s no need ’cause most people provided with a little empathy can imagine that.

Regarding Tsawa Khangtsen’s letter about the issue, it’s ridiculous to try and discredit all the victims, witnesses and supporters, saying that they are followers of Dorje Shugden possessed by the forces of Mara…

And about Lama Zopa’s advice, it’s embarrassing and outrageous, an explicit karma-based threat filled with fantastic stories of deities and pure lands, which excuses the abuser from any ‘appearance’ of misconduct that he may manifest.

A group of Buddhist practitioners and teacher from around the world has started this petition to request to the FPMT to commission a third party investigation on the matter so that victims who wish to remain anonymous can speak up, please help us by signing this: http://chng.it/L8BGfrf7Bs

Here’s the letter which explains the petition: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1tTd4WA93wYbSNW5Us47e3Ovw485pF8DXgl-j4oaYjUw

This is my witness Karma Yeshe’s statement about the meeting:https://drive.google.com/open?id=1jtajwWoQiunq6U9MvXbqYJPyIQeXX0fU

1. The way Lama Zopa and FPMT are addressing this issue shows that predators like Dagri Rinpoche have been getting away with their crimes for a long time because of FPMT’s protection. And when the victims try to seek justice, they are made out to be crazy and irrational when in fact they have been proven very capable, even deemed fit to serve as the Dalai Lama’s translator at important teachings. So, instead of addressing the real problem which is Dagri Rinpoche, FPMT instead smears the good name of the victims.

2. The accusations against Dagri Rinpoche are not baseless and have been looked into by highly noble and reputable senior sangha like Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo and others. They are fully aware of Dagri Rinpoche’s abuses and Jetsuma Tenzin Palmo has independently stated that there are many other victims apart from Ms Jakaira.

3. The sexual offences and scandals that FPMT and Lama Zopa are covering up are much bigger and more severe than originally thought. Ms Jakaira’s letter highlights how FPMT have brazenly distorted facts and the truth to escape liability and responsibility. She goes into details of how the FPMT has done that so far.

4. FPMT and Lama Zopa have done their utmost to prevent the truth from being brought to light. They are not interested to prevent Dagri Rinpoche from victimising even more women, and they are not concerned with the victims’ healing process. Particularly disturbing is Lama Zopa’s inference that victims of Dagri Rinpoche’s sexual crimes should regard themselves as lucky.

5. It’s clear that many people know about Dagri Rinpoche’s harmful actions. These include senior teachers and others who have along the way tried to stop Dagri Rinpoche. But Dagri Rinpoche has been protected by FPMT and Sera Je Monastery and allowed to continue harming innocent women who come to FPMT seeking dharma.

6. Lama Zopa and FPMT have attempted to intimidate victims by invoking religious taboo and superstition to infer that accusing Dagri Rinpoche is tantamount to creating a karmic sin.

7. Ms Jakaira offers a list of links to important articles and documents pertaining to the Dagri Rinpoche saga which is becoming a perfect storm for FPMT.

In conclusion, Ms. Jakaira’s letter in a must-read and a short but penetrative insight into how the FPMT has sacrificed truth, honour and the sanctity of dharma to save its own skin.

Dagri Rinpoche’s victim Jakaira Perez Explosive Expose on Tibet Star

The video titled ‘Jaki- the woman who suffered so much under the feet of a holy lama, rises!’ is published on Tibet Star’s YouTube channel and features a letter by Jakaira, signed as Jaki, to the Tibet Star and in it, she describes the emotional difficulties that she has suffered as a result from her standing up to the sexual abuse from Dagri Rinpoche.

Because of the slander laid on her for speaking out, Jakaira writes how she had lost everything and that after years of studying and becoming proficient in the Tibetan language, she was blacklisted by the FPMT and could not find work as a translator.

She also adds that besides losing her job, she also lost her residence in the nunnery, her teachers, friends and most of all, her years spent as a Tibetan Buddhist nun and her self esteem.

Jakaira’s letter to Tibet Star reiterates her knowing of other victims and visibly shows how irresponsible the FPMT are by not taking any action on Dagri Rinpoche after so many years of them knowing and receiving reports of sexual abuse by Dagri Rinpoche’s victims in FPMT centres.

Jakaira’s Explosive Reply to Tibet Star

Dear Tibet Star,

Tibet Star’s Reply to them published on YouTube

As I mention in the video description,
I didn’t enable the comments
because I am tired of hearing people defending him all these years and I’m just not putting up with this nonsense anymore,

I have already gone through all this before and it wasn’t easy.
I don’t have the physical time
or the emotional space
and energy to deal with people
who want to shame me again and again.

There’s enough harm already
and exposing myself like this
was already a very big step.

I need to protect my emotional stability
and carry on with my own life,
this issue is very absorbing,
for the first three weeks after the news,
I didn’t even have the time to do normal tasks of my daily life.

I need lots of energy at my work,
I need to concentrate,
even kind comments stir up my emotions a lot.
You must understand that that person ruined my life.

Because of the slander I lost everything,
I couldn’t work as a translator in the FPMT centers
after all those years of studying Tibetan.

I could not stay in the nunnery,
my abbess didn’t support me,
and betrayed me by presenting her apologies to him,
like if I was an embarrassment.

I didn’t have much money and
I finally had to give back my vows
to get a normal job in the west,
also, because I couldn’t see myself anymore
as a representative of a system that had failed me.

I lost friends, teachers, and many of the best years of my life.
I became an outcast, my self-esteem was destroyed
and I’m still a bit damaged.
Even though I’ve rebuilt my life from scratch, it wasn’t easy.

I’m lucky to have a new life now,
but most victims are still too traumatized to speak up.
From the other two victims I know of,
one has completely shut down and disappeared,
and the other one has been working on cancelling his teachings here and there (Australia and New Zealand) for years,
but not publicly.

I guess they saw what happened to me at the time
and couldn’t handle it.

I know a total of 6 concrete victims,
5 of which I know personally,
but the trauma is too deep,
they won’t expose themselves like I’ve done.

That is why the nuns from the petition
have requested a private investigation,
so that victims can speak up anonymously
and have their identity protected.

I guess my friend Adelaide has a similar feeling,
she was the only nun at IBD
with 30 monks in her class for almost 13 years.

She was going to be the second geshema after Kelsang Wangmo,
but she had to quit.
She was abused multiple times by monks,
almost raped once, good she knew martial arts.

Yours,
Jaki

Tibet Star’s video featuring Jaki’s letter

More anger from other Buddhists on Facebook

Other Buddhists are outraged and very angry with Dagri Rinpoche and FPMT.This lady is saying there are many more victims of Dagri Rinpoche and they will speak up. People are very angry that FPMT has hidden all these sexual predators.

Tibetans are also standing up for what is correct. They are clearly unhappy with Dagri Rinpoche’s conduct.

More anger from others on Change.org

The public calls for FPMT’s covering up of sexual harassment and abuse within their organisation is growing.Many quarters within Buddhist centres and groups remain disconnected from reality and in denial of the fact that it is not those who speak out but those within their organisations who are destroying the faith.Even the victims continue to be victimised. Ms Shin Young Sun, a Korean national was molested by Dagri Rinpoche ten years ago and the third victim to come forward. Till now, supporters of Dagri Rinpoche and FPMT abuse her online and accuse her of lying and that this is all a hoax made up by rival Buddhist Shugden groups.It is common knowledge with FPMT members that sexual harassment and abuse is common and covered up in FPMT centres all over the world.FPMT has a history of covering up sexual assaults, which senior students like Pema Sarah Cash have known about since the 1980s. Instead of doing something to end the abuse however, FPMT chose to allow the abusers to continue by helping to cover up their crimes.

Letters in 2011 between the FPMT and Dagri Rinpoche’s sexual abuse victim Ms. Jakaira Kunsang (Jakaira Perez Valdivia’s ordination name) has uncovered more information on the FPMT’s covering up for Dagri Rinpoche and their bullying tactics to force victims of Dagri Rinpoche to remain silent.

Posted on PMT Wallahs – Old and New, an FPMT insiders group on facebook, the correspondence starts with a letter from Jakaira who had written to Lama Zopa Rinpoche to seek clarification and a formal apology from the FPMT for Dagri Rinpoche’s slanderous remarks about her, lying to members of FPMT centres he teaches in. In her letter to Lama Zopa, Jakaira wrote explaining that Dagri Rinpoche had harmed her reputation by “talking with many other people in the Dharma centers, and telling many different lies about what really happened.” She says that, “the dishonest means of defending himself have reached a point where it is unbearable and unacceptable to pretend that nothing is happening and nothing happened.”

Jakaira’s letter to Lama Zopa also explains clearly how Dagri Rinpoche’s actions has not only harmed her but many other nuns, monks and lay people who know the truth are harmed along with her. She goes on to explain how all of them are “extremely disappointed with the easiness and irresponsibility with which (the FPMT) have managed the (Dagri Rinpoche) issue.” Directed to Lama Zopa, she states that, “such a behavior cannot be allowed from someone who is supposed to be a spiritual guide and to protect others spiritual practice.”

Written eight years ago, Ms. Jakaira has already raised up the fundamental issues that are now plaguing Lama Zopa and the FPMT. Their reluctance to face the facts and deal with the issue of rampant sexual abuse by FPMT teachers in their centers has now become a cancer that threatens the entire FPMT, and along with it, the reputation of Buddhism in the West.

Replying for Lama Zopa, FPMT CEO Venerable Roger Kunsang wrote back and in only four sentences, said he had spoken with a number of people including Dagri Rinpoche and all had denied that Dagri Rinpoche had said anything about her and that “someone else has been the source of this wrong information”.

Lama Zopa and the FPMT had many chances to put a stop to Dagri Rinpoche but they chose to cover up the sexual abuse cases to protect their reputation and funding from sponsors. Even until today, when so many victims have come forward and Dagri Rinpoche charged in court, the FPMT maintains Dagri Rinpoche’s innocence by refusing the call for an independent investigation of sexual abuse in FPMT centers.

Read the full exchange between Jakaira and FPMT CEO below.

LETTER FROM JAKAIRA KUNSANG TO LAMA ZOPA RINPOCHE IN 2011:

Dear Lama Zopa Rinpoche,

I’m writing to you as Roger kindly offered his support for any issues concerning the sad facts that have happened in the last years regarding Dagri (Pari Rinpoche). This is to formally request a written letter of apology from him, for his inappropriate behavior towards me as woman and as nun.

This is because this person is talking with many other people in the Dharma centers harming my reputation and telling many different lies about what really happened. The dishonest means of defending himself have reached a point where it is unbearable and unacceptable to pretend that nothing is happening and nothing happened. He says that the meeting that took place at H.H.Dalai Lama’s office was for me to apologize to him and to say in front of the secretary that he is a pure Gelong, and that I, crying, apologized and took back the accusations.

I want to make it very clear that I have never dropped the accusations and that I will never take back what I wrote as it is the truth, and if I have to write again the facts I would do it in exactly the same way. I accepted the apologies, that’s all, but that doesn’t mean I have changed my mind about his disgraceful behavior. I never did such thing as crying and apologizing to him, which I will never do. On top of this he has told several people that I am crazy and a liar. I have been accused of harming the Dharma and threatened that I won’t be allowed to step into an FPMT Center again ‘for what I’ve done’. Some people even said they don’t want to talk with me because they are afraid to go to hell.

All this is ridiculous and alarming. This attitude harms not only me but many other nuns, monks and lay people who know the truth and are extremely disappointed with the easiness and irresponsibility with which Your Institution have managed the issue. Such a behavior cannot be allowed from someone who is supposed to be a spiritual guide and to protect other’s spiritual practice. His behavior is destructive and has poisoned forever my spiritual life and other’s as well.

Knowing that this dishonest way of clearing his reputation would come, I tried to record the meeting the day he apologized but I was not allowed to do so by the secretary. Therefore the only means I have to protect myself now is to officially request Your Institution to ask the perpetrator of the inappropriate advances, Dagri (Pari) Rinpoche, to write to me a letter of apology for his actions. Otherwise I will have to use my own means to let the Dharma Centers know the truth, with the help of other institutions.

I kindly wait for your swift reply to this request and trust your Institution’s integrity and responsibility towards the Dharma and its way to spread in the west.

The official written apology can be sent to me by email or by post to Tenzin Yangchen at the Jamyang Choling Nunnery House, opposite Kirti Gompa in Mcleod Ganj, India, as I might be traveling.

Thanks for your kind attention.

[Signed Jakaira Kunsang]

REPLY FROM VEN. ROGER KUNSANG TO JAKAIRA KUNSANG:

Dear Kunsang,

hello,

my apologies for not getting back to you earlier than this. I have looked into this matter quite carefully and spoken to a number of people about it. Firstly … Dagri Rinpoche is quite adamant that he has not spoken to anyone about this matter … neither in Italy nor anywhere else, he thought the matter was closed from the time you and he had the meeting with the private office.

I think someone else has been the source of this wrong information.

love
roger

Venerable Roger Kunsang is the CEO of the FPMT and his bio from the FPMT website is reproduced below.Venerable Roger Kunsang became a Buddhist monk in the Tibetan Gelug tradition in 1975 at the age of 26. He has continuously served the FPMT in various roles since 1974.For the first seven years of his ordination he lived mainly in Asia where he studied and practiced Buddhism. Following this he was founder, director and resident teacher of the FPMT center, Vajrayana Institute, in Sydney, Australia for four years.In 1986, Ven Roger became the full-time attendant and secretary to Lama Zopa Rinpoche, FPMT’s Spiritual Director, and he continues to serve as Rinpoche’s assistant to this day, helping maintain the connection between the Spiritual Director and the whole FPMT organization.Ven Roger Kunsang has been a member of the FPMT Board of Directors since 1989.In 2005, Ven Roger Kunsang became Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of FPMT Inc. As CEO, his main responsibilities are to ensure that the organization achieves its mission under the direction of its founders, Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche.Public responds strongly to the FPMT’s disregard of Jakaira’s complaintPublic responds strongly to the FPMT’s disregard of Jakaira’s complaintIn a comment, former FPMT director Sean Jones reproduces a letter that confirms Jakaira’s claims of Dagri Rinpoche and his attendants spreading lies about her in FPMT centers.Sean Jones and FPMT insiders are openly criticising the FPMT’s leadership saying, “the people who call the shots and decide policy are the same who are practicing opacity, secrecy, manipulation and so forth – so it is not in their interests to be open about anything”.See the full post on FPMT Wallahs – Old and New facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/2387411328211489/permalink/2405187776433844/

Leaked letters from the FPMT expose another sexual abuse victim by Dagri Rinpoche and more cover ups from the FPMT leadership

Posted on FPMT Insiders group, FPMT Wallas – Old and New, these leaked letters reveal that the FPMT’s leadership had been contacted by many more victims of sexual assault by Dagri Rinpoche demanding that action be taken to stop sexual abuse and protect women members and nuns in FPMT centers.

The post by Sean Jones, a former director of the FPMT, publishes part of the exchange between a nun who alleges she was assaulted by Dagri Rinpoche, and the response to her complaint by the FPMT long-term Chief Executive Officer, Ven Roger Kunsang.

The first part of the nun’s testimony goes into great detail of how she was cornered and assaulted by Dagri Rinpoche but has been omitted in the post because it might be used in a future court case.

PART OF THE TESTIMONY FROM THE NUN, WHO WISHES TO REMAIN ANONYMOUS, WHO CLAIMS SHE WAS ASSAULTED BY DAGRI (addressed to a third person):

“It really seemed like he [Dagri] wanted to kiss or something and he just kept holding on to me. I had to just push him gently away. Then he said in English, “oh ok, ok…” and something more in Tibetan that I didn’t catch. I went downstairs and soon after he decided to go outside for a walk by himself.

“I saw him a couple other times during the day and each time he greeted me with a simple Tashi Delek and bumped foreheads. It was a little awkward but fine. I think he got the message that I wasn’t interested and that I was a bit distressed by what happened but I’m not sure.

“Anyway, I’m ok – just a little shaken. What troubled me especially was when he was taking me by the wrist and making my hand stroke his arms and the long tight hugs right in a row. I don’t want to overreact or make more of this than there is, but I’ve never had a monk, let alone a Lama be physically affectionate like that and it really felt like it crossed many lines.

“Not sure what all that was about but in case you’ve had or wind up having any more reports like this, there’s my account for whatever file.

“From my side I won’t spread the story around and will try and keep good guru devotion practice about it all (as I have taken initiations with him) but just so you know.

“Warm Regards”

In the post, Sean Jones astutely remarks how, “this unfortunate nun received the following email from FPMT’S VEN. ROGER KUNSANG, which clearly shows that he and therefore FPMT International Office including Lama Zopa Rinpoche knew very well that it was not an Isolated incident, and yet they still continued to keep it a tight secret, all the while continuing to promote Dagri as a pure teacher around the world for a number of years, and denying everything about his serial misbehaviour.”

Thank you for your email. The rumor that you heard about regarding Dagri Rinpoche, is not about yourself, it is about another nun and a situation that she had with Dagri Rinpoche 2 years back.

I was about to write to you to bring you up to date about what has happened, so it is good that you wrote.

I will keep it brief, but the essence is that we did follow up with Dagri Rinpoche about the incident with yourself and a little bit later we were informed of another incident, through a 3rd party and this is the one that the rumor is based on, not yourself.

Your incident has been kept confidential by myself and Lama Zopa Rinpoche and it has only been discussed with Dagri Rinpoche himself, no one else, from our side.

Now the incident with the other nun in Dharamsala has been reported to His Holiness, we don’t know yet what His Holiness will do about the situation. Then in an unusual incident one of the Namgyal young monks made an announcement to Namgyal Monastery, to all the monks about this incident, so definitely the incident is public and I just want to make clear to yourself, your incident has not been mentioned, only the one that happened 2 years ago in Dharamsala.

Of course there are a lot of details but I think not necessary to go into those details at this stage, I am just writing because I think it’s important that you know what has happened.

Love
roger

The above is more proof of the rampant sexual abuse by Dagri Rinpoche and FPMT teachers in FPMT centers around the world. It is also proof that the FPMT leadership has, despite having proof of wrongdoing, continues to deny claims of sexual assault by women victims and defending sex predators like Dagri Rinpoche.

While guilty men like Dagri Rinpoche are protected by the FPMT, brave men like Sean Jones and Ven Tenzin Peljor who have the moral courage to speak up for the oppressed women victims are penalised for their standing up for justice to be served. To silence their voices, the FPMT leadership forced the closure of Old Dharamsala Wallahs, a long standing and reputable facebook group of FPMT insiders that Sean Jones was a member of. For supporting the victims of Dagri Rinpoche and the reputable nuns calling for the FPMT to commission an independent investigation of sexual abuse, Ven Tenzin Peljor was kicked out of Insituto Lama Tzong Khapa, an FPMT center in Pomaia, Italy.

Even in the face of new evidence and old cases that were once covered up now coming to light, the FPMT maintains its culture of secrecy and oppression, silencing voices and people who dare to have the courage to speak the truth.

Read the full post and the comments on FPMT Wallahs – Old and New facebook group, https://www.facebook.com/groups/2387411328211489/permalink/2407272092892079/

FPMT commissions sexual abuse probe under threat from three new victims

In an update on November 14, the International Office and FPMT Inc. Board of Directors announced that since their last update posted on August 12, “FPMT Inc. has received a report from an individual representing three women who have outlined allegations of sexual misconduct on the part of teacher Dagri Rinpoche. This report contains what we believe to be allegations of misconduct in violation of FPMT policies.”

These three victims are all new and separate from the earlier three victims – the woman molested on the Air India Flight and who filed criminal sexual assault charges against Dagri Rinpoche along with the two who published their testimonies on social media.

These bring the present number of Dagri Rinpoche’s victims who have come forward to SIX WOMEN.

Representing the new victims, a retired lawyer brought their cases to FPMT with the results of preliminary investigations into the three additional women’s allegations of sexual molestation by Dagri Rinpoche.

Under pressure of legal recourse from these three women, confronted by six victims, and under the spotlight of public scrutiny, FPMT’s leadership has buckled and agreed to commission an independent investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct by Dagri Rinpoche.

In their November 14 update, the FPMT also announced that they have, “contracted with FaithTrust Institute, a US, multifaith, training and education organization, to conduct an independent assessment regarding allegations against Dagri Rinpoche.”

A pioneering body in handling sexual abuse within religious organizations since the 70s, FaithTrust Institute was retained by the FPMT to conduct this assessment because, “they are experienced in helping religious organizations, including Buddhist communities, respond to allegations of abuse and sexual boundary violations.”

The FPMT said in their update that engaging FaithTrust would allow women (or men) who may have experienced harm from Dagri Rinpoche to report their experience to be investigated. The FPMT update said they would soon be announcing FaithTrust’s confidential mailbox, “inviting those with concerns to come forward and take part in this assessment.”

Not limited to just the victims, Dagri Rinpoche will also be requested to participate and respond to the allegations.

Finally, as an addition to the Dagri Rinpoche sexual abuse probe, FaithTrust Institute will also conduct training for FPMT Inc. leaders on, “best practices for healthy boundaries in spiritual student/teacher relationships and best practice in responding to allegations of misconduct.”

Eminent Nuns response

Two days after FPMT’s update, the group of eminent nuns published their response to the FPMT’s announcement contracting FaithTrust Institute for an independent investigation into sexual abuse by Dagri Rinpoche. Click to read the complete document.

Two days after the FPMT update was published, the group of eminent nuns who started the Change.org online petition, ‘Call for investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct by Dagri Rinpoche’ responded by saying that, “although the FPMT’s agreement with FaithTrust is a welcome and important first step, we should keep in mind that it is only the first step. Next, the FPMT will make an open call for other claims of sexual abuse by Dagri Rinpoche. A confidential channel will be set up to allow people to contact trained investigators at FaithTrust. After conducting confidential interviews, these investigators will compile a report with their findings and present it to the FPMT.”

The distinguished nuns agree that Dagri Rinpoche will also have the opportunity to present his version of events, and “once the investigation has concluded, either Dagri Rinpoche’s name will be cleared or FaithTrust will make recommendations as to what steps the FPMT should take to make amends and to hold those responsible accountable.”

Only the beginning

As we have learnt, the investigation process by FaithTrust is called an “assessment” by them and the interviews conducted are not meant to be a substitute for “a legally binding criminal investigation.”

According to the FPMT update too, Dagri Rinpoche has, “not yet responded to inquiries from FPMT Inc.” and officially Dagri Rinpoche remains suspended from teaching under the list of FPMT Tibetan Teachers.

It has been six months since the Dagri Rinpoche scandal broke in May this year after Dagri Rinpoche was arrested in India for molesting a woman on board an Air India flight from Delhi to Gaggal airport. Since then, the FPMT and supporters of Dagri Rinpoche have attempted to prevent the spread of the news by making false accusations that this was a smear campaign by Dorje Shugden followers. The FPMT has also used their organizational power and affluence in recent months to silence the victims and those with the courage to speak out with the truth for the victims.

Even to this day, the FPMT still try to defend Dagri Rinpoche and themselves when there’s an opportunity for them to. Even with this latest development, observers are not entirely convinced, because the investigation came about because it was a demand from the victims.

In recent months, the FPMT has remained silent when Dagri Rinpoche’s victims spoke up in public for the FPMT to take action. Even the petition by the group of nuns which consist of some of the most prominent Buddhist nuns alive today and fellow FPMT teachers calling for the FPMT to take responsibility gained over 3,000 signatories was left ignored by the FPMT for nearly half a year.

This is only the beginning, and the scandal of sexual abuse by Dagri Rinpoche and the cover-up by FPMT is far from being over.

Even when presented with proof, FPMT still tries to wiggle out of taking responsibility for Dagri Rinpoche who is listed as a senior and prominent FPMT teacher, as can be seen in this conversation on the distinguished nuns’ petition between FPMT insiders and Nicholas Ribush, a Director of FPMT and former member of the Board of Directors.

Insiders believe that FPMT’s decision to conduct an independent investigation is not out of good faith from the FPMT but due to the emergence of more victims of Dagri Rinpoche and the legal recourse taken by the victims.

In an end of year update by FPMT’s International Office and Board of Directors, the FPMT has published a confidential email address managed by FaithTrust Institute for anyone who may have been a victim or have information of sexual harassment and misconduct by teachers and staff of FPMT centers.

The update, dated 20 December quickly follows up their announcement just a month earlier on the FPMT engaging independent investigators FaithTrust Institute to assist the FPMT with proper procedures for conducting a fact-finding assessment into complaints of sexual misconduct by Dagri Rinpoche at their centers.

The FPMT update was very clear in their language, even naming Dagri Rinpoche as the perpetrator. The update calls for, “anyone who may have experienced or witnessed harm from Dagri Rinpoche in his role as a spiritual teacher at FPMT centers, are invited to contact FaithTrust Institute.” Not just only by email, victims and informers can also report their experience by participating in a confidential phone or Skype interview. Confidentiality and anonymity are protected as all information received will “be held in confidence by FaithTrust Institute in the course of the assessment and report.”

FaithTrust Institute is a national, multifaith, training and education organization with global reach working to end sexual and domestic violence. From their headquarters in Seattle, Washington, they have over forty years of experience in “helping religious organizations, including Buddhist communities, respond to spiritual leader abuse and sexual boundary violations.”

When the first phase of the fact-finding assessment, which also includes conducting interviews, has concluded, FaithTrust Institute will provide FPMT’s Board of Directors with a confidential review and an evaluation of the findings, along with “recommendations for next steps that FPMT Inc. can take related to the findings.”

Further to contacting FaithTrust Institutes’s confidential email, FPMT also published the email address of FPMT Inc’s Chairman of the Board of Directors, Andrew Haynes.

The information for contacting FaithTrust Institute and FPMT’s Chairman was given as follows.

How to contact FaithTrust Institute

Via email to their Confidential Email Address:[email protected]

For enquiries on the interview process or to speak with FaithTrust Institute, please contact Emily Cohen via the confidential mailbox listed above or call +01 206-634-1903.

On their Change.org petition, the group of eminent nuns published an update on the FPMT’s announcement of FaithTrust Institute’s confidential email address. Click to read the complete document.Not only the nuns, but FPMT’s update was also welcomed by FPMT insiders and case watchers.

Court Case

The State of Himachal Pradesh VS Dagri Rinpoche

Dagri Rinpoche’s case has gone to court with the State of Himachal Pradesh prosecuting Dagri Rinpoche (Dhagri Rinpoche Thuptein Jungchup) as the defendant under Indian Penal Code Section 354A for Sexual Harassment and Punishment for Sexual Harassment. The offences are listed as:

1. Sexual harassment of the nature of unwelcome physical contact and advances or a demand or request for sexual favours or showing pornography which is punishable with rigorous imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years, or with fine, or with both.

2. Sexual harassment of the nature of making sexually coloured remark which is punishable by imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year, or with fine, or with both.

The first hearing was on 23 May and the next hearing is scheduled for 12 June.

Update on Dagri Rinpoche’s court hearing

Dagri Rinpoche’s court case which the Indian Police is charging Dagri under the Indian Penal Code 354A for Sexual Harassment and Punishment for Sexual Harassment is scheduled for its first hearing on Tuesday, 12 June 2019.

It was learned that Dagri’s lawyers are now seeking for the court case to be conducted ‘in camera’ which means that the hearing would not be open to the public. This is a clear indication that Dagri and the FPMT are attempting to reduce publicity surrounding the case and hearing.

Dagri’s sexual harassment case has been classified a high profile case because of the accused’s connection to the Office of the Dalai Lama and Indian news media are keeping a close watch on the case proceedings.

Update on Dagri Rinpoche’s court hearing (June 12, 2019)

India’s Court Services has update Dagri Rinpoche’s case with the next hearing scheduled for 18 July 2019. Click to see the larger version.

The hearing for Dagri Rinpoche’s case was scheduled for 10am (North Indian time) today, 12 June 2019.

As we already know, Dagri was charged by the Indian Police under the Indian Penal Code 354A for Sexual Harassment and Punishment for Sexual Harassment.

However, Dagri’s lawyer’s tried to stall the hearing process by giving myriad reasons.

In the end, Dagri insisted that he should have his own Hindi translator. Clearly that was a delay tactic as Dagri is known to be fluent in Hindi.

In any case, the court would have been able to provide a Hindi translator without much of a problem.

However, Dagri insisted in his own translator. As to why Dagri could not have brought a translator to the hearing today is also an indication of his attempt for the hearing not to proceed. This is not the sign of someone who is innocent and who could not wait to have his day in court to dismiss the charges and allegations against him. In fact the opposite is true.

In any case, Dagri’s case has been adjourned to 18 July 2019.

Dagri has tried to keep the public out of his court hearing, presumably to minimise news of his crime but it has not worked. There are many interested parties now watching Dagri’s case to make sure that justice is served.

Update on Dagri Rinpoche’s court hearing (July 18, 2019)

Dagri Rinpoche’s case came up for hearing in the court of Shri J.M.I.C, Kangra Court 2 today.

As already highly publicised, Dagri was charged by the Indian Police under the Indian Penal Code 354A for Sexual Harassment and Punishment for Sexual Harassment.

The first hearing of Dagri’s case was scheduled for 12 June 2019. During that session, it was learned that Dagri claimed not to understand Hindi or English and sought an adjournment to secure a translator.

The second hearing of Dagri’s case was scheduled for 18 July 2019.

On 18 July 2019, Dagri turned up to Kangra Court with a fellow monk, his lawyer Neeraj Mehra, and a translator.

However, it became an issue that the Prosecution did not have its own translator and Dagri’s side jumped on the opportunity to seek another postponement. The court then adjourned the hearing to 26 August 2019. No legal arguments were entered into by parties today.

It is clear that Dagri is not in a hurry to clear his name.

This leads one to suspect that he is trying to delay the inevitable.

More details to come.

Dagri Rinpoche’s next court case is scheduled for 26 August

Is Dagri Rinpoche stalling his court case?

At the start of this week, on 26 August, Dagri Rinpoche was again in Kangra District Court, India, for the hearing to mention the charge under Indian Penal Code Section 354A for Sexual Harassment and Punishment for Sexual Harassment.

Postponed twice before, Dagri Rinpoche’s court case has been postponed once again – this time, the case is postponed FOUR MONTHS! – the next hearing is now scheduled for 2 December.

Dagri Rinpoche’s court case appears to be stuck even before the mention of charge, which judicially is when a case really starts.

To many who are watching the case closely, this is an obvious signal that Dagri Rinpoche is in no hurry to close the case and will drag it out for as long possible. Observers are saying this is an admission of guilt for sexually molesting a woman on board an Air India flight on 3 May from New Delhi to Gaggal Airport.

More details on the postponement will be announced soon.

Dagri Rinpoche’s hearing to mention sexual molestation charges is now pushed 4 months to 2 December

After a long four month hiatus, Dagri Rinpoche was again in Kangra District Court on Monday, 2 December for the consideration of sexual molestation charges against him as the defendant.

Unlike the previous occasions when only Dagri Rinpoche was facing the judge, this hearing saw Dagri Rinpoche’s victim — the Indian lady who was accosted by Dagri Rinpoche on the Air India flight in May — also in the courtroom.

The Indian woman who pressed charges for Dagri Rinpoche’s arrest by Indian police was in court as the main witness for the public prosecutor. This has been interpreted as a signal to Dagri Rinpoche and his supporters that the other stakeholders in this case are serious about their demands for justice to be meted out.

Dagri Rinpoche was accompanied by his lawyer and a translator.

The hearing hit another snag when the Indian lady requested for a translator. As Indian courts do not provide translators, the hearing was again postponed to allow the Indian woman time to find and engage a suitable translator.

The next hearing is scheduled on Thursday, 2 January, 2020.

Dagri Rinpoche’s court hearing for consideration of charge is now on Thursday, 2 January, 2020.

On the start of the New Year, the consideration of charges hearing for Dagri Rinpoche’s sexual harassment finally went through in Kangra District Court on Thursday, 2 January 2020.

Everyone concerned with the case including Dagri Rinpoche’s victims and case watchers breathe a sigh of relief when after three postponements and waiting half a year, the case has finally gone past “Consideration of Charge” and on to the next step of the judicial process.

The next phase is for the prosecution to present evidence supporting the charges against Dagri Rinpoche. Dagri Rinpoche is charged under Section 354A of the Indian Penal Code which is for “sexually harassing a woman with intent to outrage her modesty”. The offence comes with the punishment of a prison term from one to five years and a fine.

Dagri Rinpoche will appear again in Kangra District Court on Saturday, 29 February.

Case watchers have commented that this hearing is critical as the court may drop charges to free Dagri Rinpoche if the evidence were insufficient for the case to go on.

To view the case status and history of hearings, visit https://services.ecourts.gov.in/. Dagri Rinpoche’s case CNR number is: HPKA120015502019. A CNR is a unique number given to cases in District Courts of India.

After three postponements, Kangra District Court finally heard the Consideration of Sexual Harassment Charge on Dagri Rinpoche since it was first set for 18 July 2019. Dagri Rinpoche is due in court next on Saturday, 29 February 2020, for the prosecutor’s presentation of evidence against him.

How to protect yourself from Lama murta

Transcript/Translation

Hi, welcome to Tibet Star. Today, the topic I have is on how to fight lama molestation. This video is especially for non-Tibetans who face this kind of problem. First thing first, never enter into a room alone with a lama, or Tulku or Rinpoche. It’s a big no-no, no. If you have to be in a room with a lama, make sure there’s a witness. Two, any time a molestation occurs, make sure you have a photo or an audio, or the best would be a video to prove your claims and also keep a diary or a journal. Write everything down with dates, timing, everything. Now, number five, make sure you go and blog about it, and then go to Youtube and talk about it, and share it on Facebook, and take the molesting lama to the media and challenge, now, this is very important, challenge him to do all of the following.Number one, challenge him, challenge him to make a statement, a press statement, a written statement. Two, challenge him to come to YouTube and defend himself. Then challenge him to do a press conference, not just a written statement where you cannot see his face and facial expression, and body language. These are very important to get some sense of whether the person is telling the truth, when people could ask questions and find out what really happened. And then challenge him to go through a lie-detector test.

Now, these two are somewhat traditional. Nevertheless, they are very powerful in the Tibetan world. Challenge him to swear upon his root guru and other high Lamas that he respects. Challenge him to swear upon their lives that his claims are true, that he is telling the truth. For those non-Tibetans, this will freak out most of the Tibetans, including lamas, Tulkus and Rinpoches. When you challenge them to swear upon their root guru. Because their fear of hell is real, 18 realms of hell, to them is real, and you talk about Vajra Hell, it will scare the shit out of them. 99% of them will not be able to swear upon their root guru, and that can give you an idea whether the person is telling the truth or not. If he’s innocent, he shouldn’t have any problem in swearing upon his root guru. But if he’s guilty, 99% of the time he will not do it. 99% of the lamas, Tulkus, Rinpoches will not do it if they are guilty, because their fear of hell is real.

Then, challenge him to meet you at Nechung and Palden Lhamo temple in Dharamsala. It could be done anywhere else where you have a statue of Nechung and Palden Lhamo, but do it in Dharamsala. This is symbolic, this is far more powerful. Challenge him to come, and both of you will swear before Nechung, the oracle Nechung and Palden Lhamo. This will again freak out the lama, Rinpoche, Tulku, if he’s guilty because their fear of the hell is very real. What they fear is one, the belief is that as soon as you go to, go before the Nechung and oracle is claiming to be telling the truth. So whoever is guilty, whoever lies, what happens, the belief is that within a month or so, the one who is guilty, the one who is lying will throw up blood and die. This is one fear they have. Two, while they are dead, they’re afraid that they will be reborn in hell, one of the 18 hells, or Vajra Hell.

Now, what kind of signs will show if the person, the guilty person is lying is that a misfortune will strike him in the next 30 days, or sometimes 90 days, max one year. Either he could lose his limbs in an accident, or he catches some terminal disease, or he dies. Now, this fear is real, so it’s pointers. Now, when you go about it, to go about it in an ascending order, not in a descending order because that will destroy the climax, because there will be no climax at all. And so, take your time. It could be a week between each move that you take, or sometimes it could be between a couple of days between each move that you make. So make your move accordingly. Don’t throw all the 15 moves that I’m talking about on his face in a single day. Don’t do that. One at a time and build up momentum, and finally come down to Nechung and oracle, and that will scare the shit out of the lama, trust me.

Now, what do you do after that? Usually when Tibetans have this kind of problems or similar problems, they take it to Nechung and Palden Lhamo, and it gets decided right there and they do not go to the court. Now, in this case, take him to the police, hire a lawyer and challenge him in the court. I know most of the points that I raised here are pretty obvious to many of the women who go through molestation, but as an insider and someone who belongs to the inner core once, these swearing in, challenging him to swear upon his root guru, and meeting at Nechung and Palden Lhamo to decide the outcome, these are unbelievably powerful. So use them. Basically what you do at the temple is you swear, you prostrate, probably three times before the statue of Nechung and oracle, and swear that you are, both of you will swear that you’re telling the truth, and whoever lies, whoever is guilty should meet with an unfortunate incident anytime soon. So, that could be losing a limb in an accident or could be an actual death, and then you part from there. Now everything is decided by the Nechung Oracle. That’s the belief system, so exploit it, of course, for your good purpose.

* the oracle Nechung – the Tibetan State Oracle is a monk who takes trance of the deity Nechung

An update on the Dagri court case by Mila Rangzen (Tibet Star)

Tibetans continue to demonstrate great interest in the proceedings of the Indian government’s case against Dagri Rinpoche, reflected here in Mila Rangzen’s video updating viewers on the outcome of the recent 12th June court hearing. Mila Rangzen, who is based in New York City (USA), is known for having previously launched the Tibetan #MeToo movement.

He has campaigned to uncover sexual abuses perpetrated by some monks and Tibetan politicians, whose actions were enabled by organisations like Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayan Tradition (FPMT) for decades. This criminal case involving Dagri Rinpoche will definitely continue to capture the attention of thousands of Tibetans who watch his videos for the latest developments.

People will not soon forget that FPMT were involved in covering up Dagri Rinpoche’s crimes for over a decade. FPMT should realise by now that the only viable way forward is admitting to their complicity and involvement in covering up Dagri’s crimes, along with a full-scale, third-party investigation and a strong condemnation of Dagri’s abuses.

FPMT shuts down freedom of speech

With the closure of the Old Dharamsala Wallahs Facebook group, Dagri Rinpoche’s victims and their supporters now have one less place to discuss and look into the latest developments of the case. Online discussions by senior FPMT members have revealed that the moderator of the Old Dharamsala Wallahs Facebook group was pressured by FPMT into shutting down his platform.

It is disturbing that at this late stage, with Dagri Rinpoche already charged by the Indian government with sexual offences, that FPMT are still trying to cover up their involvement in the matter. It is precisely this culture of silence they fostered for decades, which allowed Dagri Rinpoche to continue unchecked.

It is clear that FPMT are aiming for a total information blackout, to try and control what news is being posted and what information is being shared so that they can maintain their image and hence, keep the donation tap open and flowing. Absolutely no regard is given for the victims nor any thought given to the fact they need somewhere to go to, to look for announcements and information that might help to ease their pain.

Or is something more sinister afoot, and is there a lot more that FPMT is trying to cover up? Perhaps with the Old Dharamsala Wallahs page open, the discussions there might have stumbled upon something FPMT did not want revealed and that is why the group had to shut down.

Whatever their reasons, this latest development merely reinforces the fact that FPMT do not care about the victims they created, and they do not care about seeking justice for them.

FPMT has no one to blame but themselves

Yet another flimsy attempt is made to draw a link between Dagri’s abuses and certain religious practices. The fact of the matter is that this point is irrelevant when it comes to FPMT’s cover-up of Dagri Rinpoche’s sexual offences. It was FPMT’s silence (and hence complicity) on Dagri’s crimes that allowed him to continue abusing more women over the last decade. Why they covered it up is not a matter of guru devotion, but a matter of protecting their image for the donations to keep coming in.

Until FPMT supports a fully independent investigation into the sexual abuses that have been committed within their organisation, no one will be at peace. The abuses have already been committed and it is high time FPMT supports an investigation which holds the responsible parties and perpetrators to account.

FPMT members are losing faith in Lama Zopa

Lama Zopa’s advice of Dagri Rinpoche’s sexual molestation of women in FPMT centers has made a lot of people lose faith in him.

Related

“People who commit sexual abuse don’t care about the Buddha’s teaching. Make it public through media, though they may not pay heed to Buddhist teachings on ethical behaviour, they will likely take notice if their face appears in the media.” – H.H. the Dalai Lama (Ladakh, 2017)

Inspired by what His Holiness the Dalai Lama said regarding sexual predators, I decided to create this website for awareness and to give strength to other victims, to stop Dagri Rinpoche from continuing what he is doing and for my own healing process to begin.

About

I am a victim of sexual abuse by a Tibetan Buddhist teacher by the name of Dagri Rinpoche. What he did to me over 5 years ago is something I am still forced to live with.

His sexual attacks did not destroy my faith in Buddhism. What destroyed my faith were the attempts by the monastery (FPMT) and those who were in power to whitewash his wrongdoings and to muffle the voices of victims.

There is much news in the press recently all evidencing that Dagri Rinpoche has been abusing women for many years. I too sought justice but found none. So I realise that it is very important that if the FPMT will not warn the people, then someone should and I have decided that I should.

My intention is simple – to warn all potential victims of this beast. It hurts me to do this because although I can no longer trust any Buddhist organisation, I still love Buddha’s teachings.

I thought long and hard before deciding to create this site. And I’m going to remain anonymous at this time because I have children and I’m not ready for them to read about this yet. They will be affected by what is going on and I don’t want that. They are highly sensitive. And frankly, at the moment I do not have the strength to come out and face another onslaught from Dagri Rinpoche or FPMT again.

I will consider removing this site when the Buddhist establishment takes steps to stop Dagri Rinpoche and he can no longer harm people seeking peace and enlightenment.